Barry Larkin (2012)


Date of Birth: 4/28/1964
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio
College: University of Michigan

Barry Larkin earned a football scholarship to the University of Michigan but he switched to baseball in his first year. He was a top player for the university and in 1984 and 1985, he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year.

Cincinnati Reds

Larkin was first drafted as a second round selection by the Cincinnati Reds in June, 1982, but he didn't sign with them. Three years later, when they drafted him again, this time as a first round pick and the fourth selection overall, he signed a contract. He spent one season in the minor leagues. In 1986, he was named the AAA Player of the Year and the minor league Rookie of the Year.

In 1986, Larkin played with the Reds in 41 games. In 1987, his first full season in the major leagues, he batted .244 with 107 hits, 16 doubles, 21 stolen bases, and 48 RBIs in 125 games.

Larkin had his first good season in the major leagues in 1988, when he won his first of nine Silver Slugger awards. He had 174 hits, 32 doubles, 12 home runs, 40 stolen bases, 56 RBIs, and a .296 batting average in 151 games. The following season, he won his second Silver Slugger award for batting a career high .342 in 97 games. He finished the 1989 season with 111 hits, 14 doubles, and 36 RBIs.

Larkin played well both offensively and defensively in 1990. He won his third Silver Slugger award and he led all NL players in assists with 469. He also led all NL shortstops in double plays with 86. He batted .301 with a career high 185 hits, 25 doubles, 30 stolen bases, and 67 RBIs in 158 games.

Larkin won Silver Slugger awards four and five in 1991 and 1992. He batted .302 with 140 hits, 27 doubles, 20 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 69 RBIs, and 64 strikeouts to 55 walks in 123 games in 1991. The following season, he had 162 hits, 32 doubles, 78 RBIs, 58 strikeouts to 63 walks, and a .304 batting average in 140 games.

Larkin's batting average went up to .315 in 1993. He had 121 hits, 20 doubles, and 51 RBIs in 100 games. He won the Roberto Clemente award that year.

In 1994, Larkin batted .279 in 110 games. He had 119 hits, 23 doubles, 26 stolen bases, and 52 RBIs. He had a strong season defensively, winning his first of three consecutive Gold Gloves and leading NL shortstops in putouts with 178. He also won the Lou Gehrig Memorial award in 1994.

Larkin won the NL MVP award, his sixth Silver Slugger award, and his second Gold Glove in 1995. He batted .319 in 131 games and he had 158 hits, 29 doubles, 15 home runs, a career high 51 stolen bases, and 66 RBIs.

Larkin won his seventh Silver Slugger award in 1996. He had 154 hits, 32 doubles, 36 stolen bases, career highs in home runs (33) and RBIs (89), and a .298 batting average in 152 games. He walked 96 times and struck out 52 times. Defensively, he won his third and final Gold Glove and he again led NL shortstops in putouts with 230.

Larkin played in only 73 games in 1997, and he batted .317 with 71 hits. He had a full season again in 1998, when he played in 145 games. He finished the season with 166 hits, 34 doubles, 17 home runs, 26 stolen bases, 72 RBIs, and a .309 batting average. He won Silver Slugger number eight in 1997.

Larkin won his ninth and final Silver Slugger award in 1999. That season, he played in a career high 161 games. He finished the season with 171 hits, 30 doubles, 30 stolen bases, 75 RBIs, 93 strikeouts to 57 walks, and a .293 batting average.

Larkin played in just 102 games in 2000, and he batted .313 with 124 hits. The following season, he played in only 45 games. He had a full season again in 2002, playing in 145 games. Although his batting average was only .245 in 2002, he had a career high 37 doubles.

In 2003, Larkin played in just 70 games, and he batted .282 with 68 hits. He played in 111 games in 2004, his last season as a major league player. He finished that season with 100 hits, 44 RBIs, and a .289 batting average.

Awards

  • Gold Glove (3 times)
  • Silver Slugger award (9 times)
  • NL MVP
  • Roberto Clemente award
  • Lou Gehrig Memorial award

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Larkin in 19 seasons (1986-2004) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 185 in 1990
  • 6 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 37 in 2002
  • 9 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 51 in 1995
  • 9 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .342 in 1989

Career batting statistics for Larkin include:

  • 2,180 games played
  • 2,340 hits
  • 441 doubles
  • 198 home runs
  • 379 stolen bases
  • 960 RBIs
  • 817 strikeouts to 939 walks
  • .295 batting average
  • .371 on-base percentage
  • .815 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Larkin at shortstop include:

  • 1,285 games played
  • 130 errors
  • 3,395 assists
  • 683 double plays
  • 1,848 putouts
  • .976 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

In 2008, Larkin was hired as a studio analyst for the MLB Network. Three years later, he joined ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" show as an analyst.

The Washington Nationals hired Larkin as a special assistant to the general manager in 2011.

Larkin was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012 on the third ballot with 86.4% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Barry Larkin
ESPN - Barry Larkin
Baseball Reference - Barry Larkin

Back to Top