Barry Larkin Headed to Cooperstown

By - Kris Fletcher

Longtime Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin will have the stage all to himself on July 22nd when he is inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame.

Photo by: John Sommers

On Monday, Larkin was the lone player to reach the 75% threshold required to make it into baseball's elite fraternity. Former Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo, who was elected posthumously last month, will also be inducted as part of the 2012 class.

During his 19-year career with the Reds, Larkin hit .295 with 198 home runs, 960 RBIs and 379 stolen bases. The 12-time All-Star and 1995 National League MVP is also a member of the 2,000 hits club (2,340), and helped Cincinnati win the 1990 World Series over the heavily favored Oakland Athletics.

Along with Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., Larkin helped transform the position from a place for top-notch fielders with limited hitting skills to a spot where sluggers could also reside. He won three Gold Glove awards, but also has nine Silver Slugger trophies to his name.

This year may be the calm before the storm as a slew of players tied to baseball's steroids era become eligible next time around. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa will all be among the first-time candidates for the 2013 class. They’ll join Mark McGwire, who failed to top 20% (19.5) for the second consecutive year.