Barry Larkin elected to Hall of Fame
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
After falling short in his previous two tries and coming within 75 votes of election in 2011, Larkin was named on 495 ballots and received 86 percent of the vote.
Eligible candidates needed to be named on 75 percent of the record 573 ballots submitted by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, meaning 430 votes were necessary for election.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In addition to Larkin, the Class of 2012 will also include former Cubs great Ron Santo, who was a Veterans Committee selection, as well as Ford C. Frick Award winner Tim McCarver and Spink Award winner Bob Elliot.
Taken with the fourth overall pick by the Reds 1985, Larkin spent his entire 19 year career in Cincinnati. A 12-time All-Star, Larkin ended his career hitting .295 with 198 home runs, 960 RBI, 2,340 hits and 379 stolen bases. He also won three Gold Gloves and hit .353 during his team's four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics in the 1990 World Series.
Larkin's best season came in 1995 when he was named the NL's MVP after hitting .319 with 15 home runs and 66 RBI in 131 games of a strike-shortened season. He posted career bests the following season with 33 home runs and 89 RBI.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Larkin scored at least 80 runs in a season seven times, hit 30-plus doubles in six seasons and stole 30-or-more bases five times, while winning nine Silver Slugger awards.
Of the 206 former big leaguers selected for the Hall, just 47 spent their entire careers with a single major league team and only two with the Reds: Johnny Bench and Bid McPhee.
The only players other than Larkin to gain more than 50 percent of the vote were pitcher Jack Morris with 382 votes (66.7%), first baseman Jeff Bagwell with 321 (56.0%) and reliever Lee Smith with 290 (50.6%).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Outfielder Bernie Williams, who received 55 votes (9.6%) was the only first- year candidate who received sufficient support to remain on the ballot. Two- time American League MVP Juan Gonzalez got 23 votes (4.0%) and fell off the ballot in his second year of eligibility.
Other holdovers that will remain on the ballot in addition to Morris, Bagwell, Smith and Williams are first basemen Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Don Mattingly and Rafael Palmeiro; outfielders Tim Raines, Dale Murphy and Larry Walker; designated hitter/third baseman Edgar Martinez and shortstop Alan Trammell.