Barry Larkin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barry Larkin |
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Larkin in 2017
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| Shortstop | |||
| Born: April 28, 1964 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 13, 1986, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 3, 2004, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .295 | ||
| Hits | 2,340 | ||
| Home runs | 198 | ||
| Runs batted in | 960 | ||
| Stolen bases | 379 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 2012 | ||
| Vote | 86.4% (third ballot) | ||
Barry Louis Larkin (born April 28, 1964) is a famous American former professional baseball player. He played as a shortstop for his entire 19-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB). From 1986 to 2004, he played only for the Cincinnati Reds.
Barry Larkin played a short time in the minor leagues before joining MLB in 1986. He quickly became the starting shortstop for the Reds. He had many great seasons with the team. Between 1997 and 2003, he faced several injuries. These injuries limited how much he could play.
After the 2004 season, Larkin retired from playing. He worked for the Washington Nationals in their front office for several years. Later, he joined ESPN as a baseball expert. He also coached for the American team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. In 2013, he managed the Brazilian national team for the same event.
Many people think Larkin was one of the best players of his time. He won nine Silver Slugger awards and three Gold Glove awards. In 1995, he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award. He was chosen for the Major League All-Star Game twelve times. He was a key player when the Reds won the World Series in 1990. In 2012, Barry Larkin was chosen for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Barry Larkin's Early Life and School
Barry Larkin was born and grew up in Silverton, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. He was raised Catholic and went to Archbishop Moeller High School. Larkin first got a football scholarship to the University of Michigan. He planned to play for coach Bo Schembechler.
However, during his first year, he decided to focus only on baseball. He was named an All-American twice. He helped the Wolverines reach the College World Series in 1983 and 1984. This was the last time until 2019. Larkin was also named Big Ten Player of the Year in 1984 and 1985. His jersey number 16 was retired by the school on May 1, 2010. Larkin also played for the United States team in Baseball at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Starting in Minor League Baseball
Barry Larkin played for the Vermont Reds in 1985. His team won the Eastern League Championship that year. In 1986, he was named Rookie of the Year and AAA Player of the Year with the Denver Zephyrs. Overall, he played only 177 minor league games before joining the major leagues.
Barry Larkin's Major League Baseball Career
How Barry Larkin Started Strong
When Larkin joined the major leagues, he competed with Kurt Stillwell for the starting shortstop spot. By 1987, Larkin had secured the position. In 1988, he struck out only 24 times in 588 turns at bat. This was the fewest strikeouts among all major league players.
In the 1990 World Series, Larkin batted .353. He helped the Reds sweep the Oakland Athletics in four games to win the championship. On June 27–28, 1991, Larkin made history. He became the first shortstop to hit five home runs in two games in a row. That season, he was chosen for his fourth All-Star Game in a row.
After the 1991 season, Larkin wondered if the Reds were serious about winning. He thought he might leave the team when his contract ended. But he felt better when the Reds got pitchers Tim Belcher and Greg Swindell. In January 1992, the Reds signed him to a five-year, $25.6 million contract. At that time, only four players had bigger contracts. Larkin became the highest-paid shortstop.
Larkin was not an All-Star in 1992, but he won his fifth Silver Slugger Award in a row. In 1993, he won the Roberto Clemente Award. This award honors players for good sportsmanship, community service, and great play. In 1995, Larkin had a .319 batting average and 51 stolen bases. He won the National League MVP award. He was the first shortstop to win it since Maury Wills in 1962. He led the Reds to win the National League Central division title. They reached the 1995 National League Championship Series. Larkin batted .389 in that series, but they lost to the Atlanta Braves.
In 1996, Larkin hit a career-high 33 home runs and stole 36 bases. He became the first shortstop in MLB history to join the 30–30 club. This means he had at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in one season. Some people think his 1996 season was even better than his MVP year in 1995. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage were both higher.
Middle Years and Challenges
Larkin was named the Reds' captain before the 1997 season. He was the first player to have this honor since Dave Concepción retired. Starting in 1997, Larkin faced many injuries. He missed 55 games that year because of calf and Achilles tendon injuries.
About three weeks before the 1998 season, Larkin had neck surgery. He had a problem with a disk in his neck. He wasn't in a lot of pain, but he couldn't lift his arm enough to play defense. On September 27, 1998, Barry, his brother Stephen Larkin, Bret Boone, and Aaron Boone all played in the infield. This was the last game of the 1998 season. It was the first time in MLB history that an entire infield was made up of two pairs of brothers.
In 1999, Larkin was almost traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He later said someone from the Dodgers gave him a jersey with his name on it. This jersey was ready in case the trade happened. Also in 1999, Larkin worked as an expert for NBC's coverage of the World Series.
In July 2000, Larkin stopped a trade to the New York Mets. He wanted to stay with the Reds. The Mets would have sent three players to the Reds for Larkin. Larkin said he liked playing in New York, but the Mets would not give him a long-term contract. The Reds then signed him to a three-year contract for $27 million. In 2000, Larkin missed 59 games. He hurt his finger twice and sprained his knee. He had finger surgery in April and knee surgery in September.
Finishing His Amazing Career
In 2001, Larkin struggled with a groin injury. Some people, like broadcaster Joe Nuxhall, said he had "lost it." By August, he had played only 45 games due to the injury. He had surgery for a hernia that ended his season. In 2002, Larkin played in 145 games. But he had his lowest batting average (.245) since his first full year. He also dealt with injuries to his ribs, hamstring, shoulder, neck, and toe.
In 2003, Larkin was on the disabled list twice by late May because of calf injuries. He almost left the team during tough contract talks with Reds COO John Allen in late 2003. But Larkin and the Reds agreed to a one-year contract for 2004. Larkin planned a retirement ceremony for October 2, 2004. But he canceled it because he wasn't sure if he would retire. In that season, Larkin had a .289 batting average. He announced his retirement in February 2005.
Sports writer Terence Moore compared Larkin's retirement to Ted Williams's. Larkin retired after a strong season. Moore wrote that Larkin showed what a healthy player could still do. In his 19 years with Cincinnati, Larkin batted .295. He had 2,340 hits, 198 home runs, and 960 RBI. He also scored 1,329 runs and stole 379 bases.
Baseball expert Bill James called Larkin one of the greatest shortstops ever. He ranked him #6 all-time in his book. Even though he missed many games in six seasons, Larkin won the Gold Glove Award three times (1994–1996). He was also a 12-time All-Star (1988–1991, 1993–1997, 1999, 2000, and 2004). He was the first major league shortstop to join the 30–30 club. This happened when he had 33 home runs and 36 stolen bases in 1996.
What Barry Larkin Did After Baseball
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| Barry Larkin's number 11 was retired by the Cincinnati Reds in 2012. |
After retiring, Larkin became a special assistant to the general manager for the Washington Nationals. He worked under Jim Bowden, who used to be the Reds' general manager. Larkin had hoped to work for the Reds. But a newspaper reported that his contract disagreement in 2003 stopped that chance. In 2008, he joined the MLB Network as a studio analyst.
He was the bench coach for the United States team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He even managed a game against Puerto Rico. This happened when the main U.S. manager, Davey Johnson, left for his stepson's wedding. On July 20, 2008, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum added Larkin to its members. The ceremony was held in downtown Cincinnati. On March 24, 2009, Larkin was also inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 2011, Larkin left the Nationals to work for ESPN. He became an analyst for Baseball Tonight. Reds fans cheered loudly for Larkin when he helped host Baseball Tonight in Cincinnati on July 24, 2011. Chants of "Barry Larkin" and "Hall of Fame" were so loud that the anchors had to speak very loudly. It was a coincidence that Larkin was in Cincinnati on the day of the 2011 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
In 2012, Larkin was voted into the Hall of Fame. He received 86.4% of the votes. He was the eighth Reds player and 24th shortstop to be inducted. On August 25, 2012, his number 11 jersey was officially retired by the Reds. In 2010, his first year of eligibility, Larkin got 51.6% of the votes. Players need 75% to be elected. In 2011, he got 62.1% of the votes. This was the highest among players not yet inducted.
The Brazilian Baseball Federation asked him to manage their national team. This was for the qualifiers for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Brazil beat host country Panama. This was Brazil's first time to qualify for the event. The team played in Japan because baseball is very popular in Brazil. They played against Cuba, China, and Japan. The team did not win any games in its WBC debut and was eliminated early.
Larkin created the Champions Sports Complex. He uses sports to help young people grow socially, emotionally, and in their education. In 2008, Larkin released a special wine called "Barry Larkin's Merlot." All the money from sales supported the Champions Sports Foundation.
In November 2013, the Detroit Tigers wanted to interview Larkin for their manager job. Larkin said no because of the big time commitment. Brad Ausmus became the new Tigers manager. In November 2014, Larkin was one of 10 people interviewed for the Tampa Bay Rays' manager job. He was not among the final three candidates. Kevin Cash got the job.
Larkin joined the Cincinnati Reds again in May 2015. He became a roving infield instructor for their minor league teams. He also helped the main team during spring training in 2016. When asked if he wanted to manage in the future, he said, "Never say never." He added that the conditions would need to be right. On February 16, 2021, it was announced that Larkin joined the Reds' TV broadcast team on Fox Sports Ohio.
Helping Others Through Sports
Larkin has also been active in the SportsUnited Sports Envoy program. This program is run by the U.S. Department of State. Through this program, he has traveled to countries like Colombia, Ecuador, India, Lithuania, and Taiwan. There, he held baseball clinics and events. These events reached over 2,200 young people from areas that don't have many resources. By doing this, Larkin helped SportsUnited's goal. Their goal is to reach out to young people to help them grow and support stable governments.
Barry Larkin's Family Life
Larkin's brother, Stephen Larkin, also played professional baseball. He played one game in the major leagues for the Reds. Another brother, Byron Larkin, was a great basketball player at Xavier University. He is now a radio announcer for Xavier basketball games. Larkin's oldest brother, Mike, was a captain of the University of Notre Dame's football team in 1985. All the brothers were raised Catholic.
Larkin and his wife Lisa have two daughters, Brielle D'Shea and Cymber. They also have a son, Shane. The family lives in Orlando, Florida. Shane played two seasons of basketball at the University of Miami. Then he decided to join the 2013 NBA draft. Shane was later traded to the Dallas Mavericks and played his first NBA game in November 2013. Shane was a guard for the Boston Celtics in 2017. Larkin's daughters play lacrosse. Brielle D'Shea is named after Shea Stadium, a baseball park where Larkin enjoyed playing.
See also
In Spanish: Barry Larkin para niños
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
- 30–30 club
