Former Reds shortstop Barry Larkin can now add hall of famer to his already impressive resume.  Like many before him, Larkin has made a seamless transition from the field to the broadcast booth.  Larkin was elected to the hall of fame today.  In his third appearance on the ballot, Larkin received 86.4% of the vote from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

It was not a matter of if, but when Larkin would be elected to the hall of fame.  Unless you are an all timer, baseball writers don't like to vote players in on their first year of eligibility.  It is like the unwritten rule of hall of fames.

I've personally never understood it.  Either you are a hall of famer or you aren't.  It's like the baseball writers want to differentiate classes of hall of famers.  They want to make sure we understand there is a difference between Babe Ruth and Gary Carter.

In 19 seasons in Cincinnati, Larkin hit .295 with 2,340 hits, 189 home runs, 960 RBI, the 1995 NL MVP, and a World Series title in 1990.

Along with the late Ron Santo, Larkin will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 22nd.

Jack Morris is also knocking on the door.  In his 13th year of eligibility, Morris received 66.7% of the vote, his highest to date.  In his second year of eligibility, Jeff Bagwell jumped from 41.7% to 56%.

The 2013 ballot figures to be the most controversial, with Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa all eligible for the first time.

 

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