48 Facts About Barry Larkin

1.

Barry Louis Larkin was born on April 28,1964 and is an American former professional baseball player.

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2.

Barry Larkin played shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1986 to 2004.

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3.

Barry Larkin briefly played in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 1986.

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4.

Barry Larkin quickly won the starting shortstop role for the Reds and enjoyed a long run of strong seasons with the team.

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5.

Barry Larkin retired after the 2004 season and worked in a front-office position for the Washington Nationals for several years until he joined ESPN as a baseball analyst.

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6.

Barry Larkin served as a coach for the American team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and managed the Brazilian national team for the same event in 2013.

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7.

Barry Larkin is considered one of the top players of his era, winning nine Silver Slugger awards, three Gold Glove awards, and the 1995 National League Most Valuable Player Award.

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8.

Barry Larkin was selected to the Major League All-Star Game twelve times, and was one of the pivotal players on the 1990 Reds' World Series championship team.

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9.

Barry Larkin was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in January 2012 and was inducted on July 22,2012.

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10.

Barry Larkin accepted a football scholarship to the University of Michigan to play for coach Bo Schembechler, but during his freshman year, he decided to play baseball exclusively.

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11.

Barry Larkin was a two-time All-American and led the Wolverines to berths in two College World Series, in 1983 and 1984.

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12.

Barry Larkin was named Big Ten Player of the Year in 1984 and 1985.

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13.

In 1988, Barry Larkin led all major leaguers by striking out only 24 times in 588 at bats.

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14.

Barry Larkin earned his fourth consecutive All-Star Game selection that season.

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15.

Barry Larkin said he was likely to leave the team when his contract expired the next year, but he was encouraged when the Reds acquired pitchers Tim Belcher and Greg Swindell in the offseason.

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16.

Barry Larkin was not selected as an All-Star in 1992, but he won his fifth consecutive Silver Slugger Award.

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17.

Barry Larkin led the Reds to the National League Central division title and the 1995 National League Championship Series, where he batted.

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18.

Barry Larkin arguably had a better season in 1996 than he had in his MVP year of 1995, as his on-base percentage and slugging percentage were both improved.

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19.

Barry Larkin was named the Reds' captain before the 1997 season, making him the first player to hold the honor since Dave Concepcion's retirement.

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20.

Barry Larkin missed 55 games that year due to injuries to his calf and his Achilles tendon.

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21.

About three weeks before the opening of the 1998 season, Barry Larkin decided to undergo neck surgery for a perforated disk.

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22.

Barry Larkin was not in severe pain, but he was unable to lift his arm enough to play his defensive position.

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23.

Barry Larkin later said that he was approached by a Los Angeles clubhouse attendant, who gave him a Dodgers jersey with his name on it.

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24.

Also in 1999, Barry Larkin served as a pre-game analyst for NBC's coverage of the World Series alongside host Hannah Storm.

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25.

In July 2000, Barry Larkin blocked a trade to the New York Mets to remain with the Reds.

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26.

Barry Larkin said that he would have gone to New York, as he enjoyed playing there, but the Mets did not want to sign him to a multi-year contract.

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27.

Barry Larkin struggled with a groin injury in 2001, prompting criticism of his play.

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28.

Barry Larkin underwent season-ending surgery for a hernia that had been diagnosed during an evaluation of the groin injury.

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29.

In 2003, Barry Larkin had spent two stints on the disabled list with calf injuries by late May During strained contract negotiations with Reds COO John Allen in late 2003, Barry Larkin almost left the team.

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30.

Barry Larkin called off a planned retirement ceremony scheduled for October 2,2004, because he was not sure if he would retire.

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31.

Barry Larkin had hoped to work for the Reds, but USA Today reported that his 2003 contract disagreement with Allen eliminated that opportunity.

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32.

Barry Larkin was the bench coach for the United States at the 2009 World Baseball Classic and managed the United States' second-round game against Puerto Rico when US manager Davey Johnson left to attend his stepson's wedding.

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33.

In 2011, Barry Larkin left Washington for ESPN to serve as a Baseball Tonight analyst.

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34.

Barry Larkin received great applause from Reds fans when he helped host Baseball Tonight's on-the-road coverage of Sunday Night Baseball at GABP on July 24,2011.

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35.

Barry Larkin was coincidentally in Cincinnati for Baseball Tonight on the day of the 2011 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

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36.

Barry Larkin was the eighth Reds player and 24th shortstop inducted to the Hall of Fame.

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37.

Barry Larkin was invited by the Brazilian Baseball Federation to manage their national team in the qualifiers for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

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38.

Barry Larkin built the Champions Sports Complex to use sports in the social, emotional, and educational development of youth.

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39.

Barry Larkin declined the interview due to the time commitment associated with the job.

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40.

In November 2014, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Barry Larkin was among 10 candidates interviewed for the Tampa Bay Rays' managerial job.

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41.

Barry Larkin was not among the team's three finalists, and the job ultimately went to Kevin Cash.

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42.

Barry Larkin joined the Cincinnati Reds as a minor-league roving infield instructor in May 2015.

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43.

Barry Larkin helped out the big-league club during spring training 2016.

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44.

On February 16,2021, it was announced that Barry Larkin joined the Reds' television broadcast team on Fox Sports Ohio.

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45.

Barry Larkin has been an active participant in the SportsUnited Sports Envoy program for the US Department of State.

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46.

In so doing, Barry Larkin helped contribute to SportsUnited's mission to reach out to youth populations in order to promote growth and a stable democratic government.

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47.

Barry Larkin's brother, Stephen Barry Larkin, was a professional baseball player; he made it to the major leagues for one game with the Reds.

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48.

Barry Larkin's eldest brother, Mike, was a captain of the University of Notre Dame's football team in 1985.

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