Barry larkin born

Barry Larkin’s career with the Cincinnati Reds stands as a testament to loyalty and excellence in baseball.

After the Wolverines lost to Will Clark’s Mississippi State Bulldogs in the South Regional of the College World Series, it was time for the Michigan graduate to turn his attention to the major leagues.

Conveniently, the Cincinnati Reds were looking for a shortstop to eventually replace 37-year-old Dave Concepción of Big Red Machine fame, and on the recommendation of legendary scout Gene Bennett, the Reds, with the number four overall pick in the 1985 draft, selected Larkin.

COO John Allen offered Larkin $500,000 for the 2004 season and asked him to relinquish his captain designation. Fortunately, Larkin stayed with the Reds, appearing in 161 games that season (the most in his career) on a team that finished 96-67 and just missed the post-season after losing a one-game playoff to the Mets. Born on April 28, 1964 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Barry Louis Larkin played his entire 19-year major league baseball career with his hometown Reds.

Robert and Shirley Larkin raised their daughter Robin and sons Michael, Barry, Byron and Stephen on Elwynne Drive in the Cincinnati suburb of Silverton (where star NFL quarterback Roger Staubach also grew up 20 years earlier).

In 2005 he joined the Washington Nationals as special assistant to his former GM in Cincinnati, Jim Bowden, who even tried to get Larkin to come out of retirement to help the team on the field (he declined). He started at shortstop from Day 1…even Bo knew what Barry’s future was once he saw him play as a freshman.”2

Larkin chose the right sport: in 1983 he was named the Big Ten Tournament Player of the Year, he made the Baseball America Freshman First Team, and his Wolverines (including his future Reds teammates Chris Sabo and Hal Morris) advanced to the College World Series.

Believe me, there isn’t a more valuable player in this league.”12

Being the reigning MVP has its perks, like when it’s time to renegotiate one’s contract. 🐐 #RedsVaultpic.twitter.com/Dc32ZLuEWQ

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) November 15, 2021

Always striving to be better, Larkin followed his 1995 MVP campaign to become baseball’s first-ever 30-30 shortstop (30 home runs, 30 stolen bases) in 1996.

September 22, 1996: Barry Larkin slugs his 30th homer to become the first shortstop in MLB history to join the 30-30 Club!

There are no complementary players in the Hall of Fame.” Another 1990 teammate, Tom Browning, concurred. After dispatching the Pirates (and that year’s NL MVP, Barry Bonds) four games to two, the underdog Reds geared up to face the defending champion Oakland A’s. In what would turn out to be his only World Series appearance, Larkin batted an impressive .353/.421/.529 in the series as the Reds swept the A’s, and Larkin won his third straight Silver Slugger award.

As the 1990s began and the 1991 season dawned, the baseball world began assessing the starting shortstop on the reigning World Series champion team as the best in his position.

#RedsVault

(📸 @UMichAthletics) pic.twitter.com/hKwA7cO60G

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 3, 2021

Long-time Reds shortstop Dave Concepcion was about to retire, and who better to take his place than the Cincinnati-raised collegiate superstar Larkin?

He reported to the Vermont Reds in 1985 along with his Michigan teammate Chris Sabo, also drafted by the Reds.

His minor league career was short-lived, but only because he continued his dominance on the diamond.

His Reds won the 1985 Eastern League Championship and in 1986 Larkin earned Player of the Year honors with the Denver Zephyrs.

Larkin would only play 177 games in the minors before being called up to the big league Reds on August 13th of that year.

Playing under Reds’ player-manager and fellow Cincinnatian Pete Rose, Larkin had his first at-bat in the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants and drove in a run, his first as a Major League player.

Entering the 1987 campaign, Larkin found himself amid a competitive battle for starting shortstop with Kurt Stillwell.

Larkin worked hard and confided in his teammates who motivated him.

Those are strong words to say to somebody like Pete Rose, but Larkin had the confidence and skill level to back it up.

Larkin would become the Reds’ shortstop for the next two decades.

The late 1980s saw great success for Larkin, but he struggled as well.

He struck out the fewest times of any player in 1988, but also led the National League in errors manning Cincinnati’s astroturfed Riverfront Stadium.

He made the all-star team in both 1988 (played in Riverfront) and in 1989, as well as winning Silver Sluggers both years.

Larkin also showed remarkable base-running abilities, becoming one of the National League’s premier base-stealing threats.

He would miss the second half of the 1989 season with a torn ligament in his elbow.

In 1990, the Reds went wire-to-wire to win their first World Series since 1975, the Big Red Machine era.

In a massive upset sweep of the Oakland Athletics, Larkin proved pivotal, hitting .393 and earning his first and only World Series ring.

As the early ’90s progressed, Larkin began standing out as one of the game’s best and most consistent shortstops.

He had improved in every facet of his game, including his formerly below-average defense.

In 1991, Larkin hit 20 home runs, a career-high to that point, and won another Silver Slugger and all-star selection.

In an era when shortstops were known more for their defense and speed, Larkin helped to expand the notion that shortstops could be bigger, stronger, and hit for power, something that Cal Ripken Jr., had been proving in the American League with the Baltimore Orioles.

As the Reds failed to make another World Series in 1991, Larkin began to question the Reds’ commitment to winning but ultimately accepted a five-year, $25.6 million deal from his hometown team after they made other signings to improve the club.

He became the highest-paid shortstop in Major League Baseball.

This deal would prove successful for both Larkin and the Reds in the short-term and long term.

Larkin won his fifth consecutive Silver Slugger in 1992 and the Roberto Clemente Award in 1993.

Building upon the values instilled in him as a boy by his parents, Larkin won the award based on his community service, sportsmanship, and performance.

In 1995, a season that saw him hit .319 and steal 51 bases, he would become the first shortstop since 1962 to win an MVP Award.

November 15, 1995: Barry Larkin is named NL MVP after already earning both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove at shortstop.

His programs emphasize both athletic skills and academic achievement.

Larkin maintains close ties to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, where he played under legendary coach Bo Schembechler. Yet during the 1991 season, he not only hit 20 homers (his previous best had been 12 in 1987 and 1988), but on June 27-28, he became the first shortstop in MLB history to hit a total of five home runs in two consecutive games.

He did not, however, make the All-Star team, fueling his desire to return to the mid-summer classic in 1993.

But the season got off to a rough start when, in February, MLB suspended Reds owner Marge Schott for one year for using racial and ethnic epithets. Once we started working with him, he picked it up right away because he was such a hard worker.

“The guys trusted Barry completely.”

In the clubhouse, Larkin mentored younger players like Pokey Reese and Aaron Boone, teaching them the “Reds Way” of playing the game with respect and professionalism.

Commitment to Winning

Larkin’s loyalty to Cincinnati became his defining characteristic. He is the six-tool player all the scouts are looking for now, one with all the baseball skills plus intellect.”24

For a Hall of Famer with 2,340 career hits, 12 All-Star appearances, three Gold Gloves, nine Silver Sluggers, an MVP award, and was the first shortstop to join the 30-30 club, perhaps his greatest source of pride is playing his entire career in his hometown.