Lone Man

Larkin will rightly take his place among the
game's greats this Summer.

In his third at-bat, longtime Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin hit one all the way into Cooperstown.

Larking, 47, who received a remarkable 86.4 percent of the vote, gathered just 62.1 in his second year of eligibility a year ago, making his 24.3 percent vote increase the largest jump in baseball history since 1948.

That year pitcher Herb Pennock, who helped the Red Sox win two World Series titles and the Yankees another four, totaled 77.7 percent of the vote, a significant jump from his 53.4 in 1947.

A 12-time All-Star, Larkin was the National League version of New York's Derek Jeter.

Drafted with the fourth overall pick by the Reds in the 1985 amateur draft, Larking quickly made his presence felt in the Cincinnati lineup. In 1986, Larkin batted .283 in his rookie campaign and finished seventh in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Two years later, 1988 would be a year of firsts for Larkin. He was selected to his first career All-Star Game and awarded his first Silver Slugger, both which would become a common occurrence throughout his career.

Much like Hall of Famer Cal Ripken did, Larkin transcended his position, making shortstop not only a spot for slick fielding glove men, but also a home for some of the game's most prolific sluggers.

At age 26, Larkin, in what would be first of only two trips to the postseason, hit .300 (12-for-40), swiped three bases and helped lead a Lou Pinella-led Reds teams to the 1990 World Series title, sweeping the Oakland Athletics.

Larkin was voted the NL Most Valuable Player in 1995, hitting .319 with 15 home run, 66 runs batted in and stoles 51 bases. That year Cincinnati finished first in the NL Central and road the postseason wave all the way to the NLCS, where they were swept by the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves.

Despite never hitting a postseason home run, Larking was a .338 career hitter in the postseason and managed to steal 8 bases in just 17 games.

Larkin was one of those rare breeds blessed with speed and power, becoming the first shortstop in history to total 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season, that coming in 1996.

Following the 2004 season, at age 40, Larkin wanted to resign and continue his playing career with the Reds, but in so many words Cincinnati brass said they no longer wanted his service. Instead of choosing to play for another team, Larkin decided to retire. His No. 11 has not been issued to another player in Cincinnati since his departure.

In 19 seasons with the Reds, Larkin, who was the recipient of three consecutive Gold Gloves (1994-96), owned a .295 career average, laced 2,340 hits, hit 198 home runs and stole 379 bases. His 939 career base-on-balls is significantly greater than his 817 career strikeouts, making him a reliable source to out the ball in play and get on base.

July 22 marks the day Larkin will be inducted into Cooperstown, joined by the late Ron Santo,who elected last month by the Golden Era Committee after an unprecedented and maddening 32-year wait.

But 2012 belongs to Larkin.