9
2012
Barry Larkin Elected To The Hall Of Fame
An article by 
Congratulations to Barry Larkin on his election into the Hall of Fame.
Here is the how the voting went down for the top five players: Barry Larkin 86%, Jack Morris 67%, Jeff Bagwell 56%, Lee Smith 51%, and Tim Raines 49%
Barry Larkin was the only player to be inducted which is exactly how our MMO Hall of Fame vote turned out on Sunday.
* * * * * * *
MMO Nominates Barry Larkin To The Hall Of Fame
A 12-time All-Star and 1995 NL MVP, Barry Larkin redefined the shortstop position and spent his entire major league career with the Cincinnati Reds from 1986-2004. He’s a nine-time Sliver Slugger Award winner, and was a key member of the Reds team that swept the A’s in the 1990 World Series.
A class act throughout his career, Larkin hit .295 with 198 home runs, 960 RBIs, 2,340 hits and 379 stolen bases. Defensively he was one of the best and although he was overshadowed by Ozzie Smith for most of his career, he still won three Gold Gloves.
More about our votes:
On my ballot I voted for Barry Larkin, Tim Raines, Jack Morris and Alan Trammell.
The voting was all very different which I found very interesting. We had Derek who selected nine players and Jessep who selected seven to Stephen and Joe Spector who each chose just one player.
We had two Honorary Readers, Met Maniac and Kay, join in the vote and neither voted for the same players among their five combined selections.
Ben Yoel cast his ballot past our deadline because he hadn’t checked email in a few days. I told him I’d include it anyway because I decided to post this on Sunday rather than Friday which was my original. When I went to add his ballot to all the ones I tallied already and saw he hadn’t voted for Larkin, I got real panicky thinking that we may have not elected anyone. Whew, Larkin just squeaked by. We’re a tough bunch I guess.
Barry Larkin appeared on 20 of 26 ballots that were cast which earned him 76.9% of the vote. Now that’s cutting it close…
The rest of the vote went as follows:
Tim Raines – 61.5% (16 votes)
Jeff Bagwell – 50.0% (13 votes)
Jack Morris – 42.3% (11 votes)
Edgar Martinez – 38.5% (10 votes)
Alan Trammell – 19.2% (5 votes)
Don Mattingly – 15.4% (4 votes)
Rafael Palmeiro – 11.5% (3 votes)
Lee Smith - 11.5% (3 votes)
Fred McGriff - 12% (3 votes)
Mark McGwire – 7.7% (2 votes)
Larry Walker - 7.7% (2 votes)
Bernie Williams - 7.7% (2 votes)
Ruben Sierra – 3.8% (1 vote) *Ineligible for 2013 ballot
Dale Murphy - 3.8% (1 vote) * Ineligible for 2013 ballot
Players who failed to receive any votes and would be ineligible for the 2013 ballot include: Juan Gonzalez, Jeromy Burnitz, Vinny Castilla, Brian Jordan, Javy López, Bill Mueller, Terry Mulholland, Phil Nevin, Brad Radke, Tim Salmon, Tony Womack and Eric Young.
Congratulations, Barry… We hope to see your name announced on Monday and look forward to seeing you during the 2012 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Here are some comments random comments that some of our voters had regarding there own votes:
- I would go with Tim Raines. To me Raines was to the NL what Rickey Henderson was to the AL. While Henderson will always remain in his own category, only Raines in my opinion has ever come close to being a similar player as Rickey. Playing in Montreal where he didn’t get the press coverage may have reduced his exposure. The man was incredible. ~ Joe Spector
- Regarding Barry Larkin, he’s a 12-time all star and was the first shortstop to ever go 30-30. He has an MVP to his name, has more walks than strikeouts, has nine silver sluggers and three gold gloves. He received 62.1 percent of the vote last year, and should reach the necessary 75 percent this year. This one was easy. ~ Andrew
- Before we argue and debate this new crop of Hall of Fame eligibles from the steroids era ad nauseam, we still have some unfinished business and need to get Jack Morris, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell and Tim Raines elected. So that’s who I’m voting for. We can sort through the cheats from the steroids era, after the lasts holdovers from the clean era get in. ~ Rob Johnson
- Don Mattingly was an MVP winniner, 6 time all-star, 9 Gold Gloves, a batting title, twice he lead the league in hits and twice in total bases. ~ Greg Pomes
- Larkin, Bagwell, Raines, and Martinez should be in already – no question in my mind. I hate the DH, but I see no solid argument against Martinez. Gonzalez, Palmiero, McGwire… I just can not see. The kid in me will not allow it. ~ Satish
- Larry Walker has put up some impressive numbers in 17 seasons. Walker hit 383 HR’s, 1311 RBI’s, a .565 SLG, and a BA of .313. Those numbers to me seem HOF worthy. – Brandon
- In the steroid era, it’s easy to group all the power hitters into the category of “steroid user.” However, Jeff Bagwell was never linked to steroids and thus is worthy of Hall of Fame consideration. The man had the “fastest hands in the West” when he played for the Houston Astros. He maybe did not reach the 500 home run plateau but his other stats speak for themselves. Though maybe he wasn’t a first ballot Hall of Famer, Bagwell deserves to be in this time around. ~ Jim Mancari
- Jack Morris was a fantastic starting pitcher, a huge big game pitcher, a war horse. He should have been elected to the Hall Of Fame already. ~ Petey Pete
- I’m on the fence with Jeff Bagwell, but because the #1 reason people seem to leave him off their ballot is because “they think” he “may” have taken steroids. Therefore he’s on my ballot. ~ Jessep
- I will never vote for someone who tests positive for PEDs, period. ~ Clayton
- Bernie Williams, Barry Larkin and Jack Morris are the deserving players to go to the hall at this time. I am sure the others on my list will get in someday, but probably not this year. ~ Derek
- Mark McGwire is certainly a part of baseball history. He did use andro, but it was not banned by baseball at the time. Rafael Palmerio will lose some votes because of the failed PED test, but he is one of the game’s greats. He cheated in an era of cheaters. ~ Robert Knapel
- With the exception of Gil Hodges and Keith Hernandez, the fact that Lee Smith is not in the HOF is a joke. He was the all-time saves leader up until 2006 and still, in this era of closers, he remains 3rd all time (478 saves) He has a career 3.03 ERA, lower than Eck’s 3.50, but Eck is in the HOF. Gossage and Fingers are in, but yet they have more blown saves than Smith. If Eck, Gossage and Fingers are in, then Smith definitely should be. ~ Rob (Tie Dyed)
- Barry Larkin is considered by many to be a Hall of Famer, but Alan Trammell who was as dominant a shortstop in his era is still on the outside looking in. Why? A six-time All Star with four gold gloves, three silver sluggers, and was voted in the Top 10 in MVP three times including second in 1987 when he batted .347. And at a time when there wasn’t two dozen .300 hitters every season, Trammell did it seven times. ~ Joe D.
- Barry Larkin because he also helped revolutionize the SS position and one of the last few that played his whole career for one team. Tim Raines because he was the second best base stealer behind Rickey Henderson. Jack Morris because 254 wins shows his longevity and one of the best world series pitching performances of all time. Don Mattingly because I worked for him, haha. – Matt
- Edgar Martinez revolutionized the DH position for the Mariners. He played 18 big seasons and his all-time average stands at .312! Hit .300 and above every year from 95′ to 01′. One of the best all around hitters of all-time. Definitely deserves the call. ~ Ben Yoel
This is why despite all of the grief the BBWAA gets, I still say it’s a great and very fair voting system. It allows for an amazing amount of diverse ideas and opinions, and I learned that just from our own vote.
I would have never imagined that Barry Larkin would be the only player we selected in our own HOF vote, and yet that’s exactly what happened. It might happen again on Monday.
I would like to thank XtreemIcon for launching this initiative on MMO – and you can look forward to a MMO Hall of Fame vote every year moving forward.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 30 | .583 | - |
| Phillies | 35 | 37 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Nationals | 34 | 36 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Mets | 27 | 40 | .403 | 12.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 48 | .314 | 19.0 |
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No votes for Jeromy Burnitz and you call yourselves Mets fans?
Im glad that Barry Larkin got voted in by us, he definitely deserves the official nod by BBWAA. I also hope that Tim Raines gets the nod as well. It’s tough because like Larkin, he played second fiddle to Rickey Henderson. It’s tough having people notice you when someone else with the same skills is overshadowing you.
First off, awesome idea. I had a little trouble at first because most of these guys are well before my era lol.
On my ballot I voted for Barry Larkin, Tim Raines, Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Jeff Bagwell and Edgar Martinez. Oddly enough, i’m somewhat bothered only Larkin got in since those other guys were holdovers too.
How come no Bagwell or Martinez Joe? Just curious. Your point on Trammell is valid and I agree with it.
Although this was a mock ballot, the diversity in opinion is really intriguing. I’m curious to see why people didn’t vote for… well, basically the other 5 guys I voted for lol.
This was an excellent idea XtreemIcon. I can’t wait to do the Mets Hall of Fame voting.
My ballot was Barry Larkin, Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell, Alan Trammell, and Fred McGriff. I thought Raines an Bagwell were shoo-ins for induction as well as Larkin.
Edgar Martinez was a DH, and if you aren’t going to field at all, you need to have off-the-chart numbesr. I see him as a very good player, but by no means elite.
Morris had a career 3.90 ERA, and a 1.78 SO/BB ratio. Although a great pitcher, clutch and incredible stamina, I don’t see him as HOF worthy
Thanks, Clayton. The idea came to me when I was debating Jessep on Morris’s candidacy. So we’ll give him the credit for being my muse.
My ballot consisted of Raines, Bagwell, Larkin and Edgar Martinez. I’m 100% in agreeance with Satish that those guys should be in without question.
I also voted for Palmeiro, but I did not vote for McGwire. First off, I’ll say I’m not staunch on Raffy and if he never smells another vote, I won’t be upset. He made his bed. But the reason I voted for him is because his positive test came at the very, very end of his career, when his candidacy was already set in stone. Also, it was a B-12 shot that contained “banned substances”, which in my mind is a far cry from “anabolic steroids,” which is why I did not vote for McGwire. He came clean (bully for him), but he admitted to anabolic steroids, so he’s out.
There’s nothing at all that leads me to believe Palmeiro DEFINATELY acheived his numbers falsely, and when you’re one of only four guys that had 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, speculation isn’t enough to keep you out.
Ex? Raffy tested positive for Winstrol,an anabolic.Winstrol is a steroid used by bodybuilders the last few weeks before a show because it helps shred body fat,it won’t bulk you up like a Bonds and McGwire.While I believe you may be correct that it may not have aided in his numbers exploding,there is enough to suggest that it may have.
Winstrol is in B-12?
No! Raffy claimed he was given a B-12 vial by Miguel Tejada that had Winstrol in it.In Raffy’s defense,Winstol will not make you big and strong,so you can make an argument that he had no benefit in taking it other than keeping off body fat.If he was abusing it he would be bald.That’s as bad a steroid as there is when it comes to hair loss.You can also make an argument that he may have used something else earlier in his career when you look back at how his numbers just took off early 90′s then after the strike he became a big time power hitter.If he gets in fine but if not he has no one else but himself to blame.
Thanks for the education. I read about the B-12, but not about Winstrol. I think I might change my vote. Have to give it more thought.
This was a nice change of pace post to read here. Thanks for including the comments I found them to be more compelling than the actual vote. I would have voted Larkin, Mattingly and Morris if it were me.
I abstained from nominating anyone. I didn’t have a lot of time for due diligence and I didn’t want it to be a shoot-from-the-hip nomination. It’s too important, so I stayed out. But who can quibble with Barry Larkin? He would be a great member of the Hall.
Thanks Joe for the novel process.
Des, your opinion is respected. Now that you have more time to give it some thought, who would you vote for?
Xtree — Thanks for the nice words. My current thoughts have been affected by the great comments other MMO participants have offered. So stepping back in time, here goes what I had originally thought. My grasp of who satisfied the requirements led me to think Raines and Larkin deserved the honor. I was ‘iffy’ on Jack Morris and Alan Trammell. Jeff Bagwell, though a terrific player, was next but didn’t make my cut. My anti-vote, if such a thing existed, would have gone to Mark McGwire.
Des, curios as to why Bagwell missed your cut. I’ll bring to your attention the following rankings amongst all first baseman between 1900 and 2006 (minimum 600 PAs, roughly 10-12 seasons):
7th in OBP (everyone in front eligible is in)
9th in SLG% (everyone in front eligible is in)
9th in home runs (everyone in front eligible is in except McGriff)
8th in RBI (everyone in front eligible is in except McGriff)
4th in Runs (everyone in front eligible is in)
If the following interest you, take note:
4th in WAR (everyone in front eligible is in)
8th in wOBA (everyone in front eligible is in)
9th in OPS (everyone in front eligible is in)
Also take into consideration that he was a very good fielder and stole 200+ bases. He also finished with a .297 average. I would think he’d be on far more ballots.
No respect for the Crime Dog. If he had taken PEDs or steroids he’d be in the 600 homer club. Playing fair gets you nowhere and that sucks. Ten season with an OPS over .900 and a career slash of .284/.377/.509/.888 in 19 seasons. 12 season of 90+ RBIs and over 1,500 ribbies in his career. If that’s not HOF numbers I don’t know what is. Bad job here. Very bad.
I agree with you, if Tony Perez and Orlando Cepeda are HOF’s so is Crime Dog. No PED USE. Better numbers..
How do you know he didn’t take steroids and “only” acheived 493? I enjoyed watching him play, but from 1985-2006, he’s 22nd in OBP, 14th in SLG%, 33rd in BA and 12th in OPS. And that’s only amongst qualified 1B, not in general. He had a lot of power and a lot of RBI opportunities playing on the early 90′s Braves and late 80′s Jays. I just don’t see where he seperated himself from the pack.
To be clear, I don’t think he took steroids, but the whole era is so clouded, the numbers are all we have. And his numbers didn’t seperate himself from the pack.
I received the email and didn’t partake cause I was busy but looking over it now – Tim Raines is certainly no Hall Of Famer but naturally according to the Moneyball generation he should be because he drew a lot of walks and had high OBP. But he’s no Hall Of Famer. Edgar Martinez, maybe because he was a great hitter who just happened to have a good eye but he DH’d most of his career so I’m not so sure about him. I don’t go by OBP for the Hall of Fame like X does.
I’d put Bagwell, Larry Walker (maybe), Lee Smith, and the Crime Dog in. You come that close to 500 HRs and being the player that McGriff was? You go in the Hall Of Fame, period. I don’t believe Mattingly is a Hall Of Famer either, he had a couple great seasons and was a very good hitter but not a hall of famer.
Thanks for the shoutout. Tim Raines is the second greatest leadoff hitter of all time. Easy to look unworthy when you’re up against Rickey, but Raines had more power, was better defensively and was a better base-stealer than Henderson.
Before you jump down my throat about home run total, I said “power,” not home runs. I know what I said.
Henderson still had much more power because he had almost 300 HRs, Raines was more of a gap hitter but Henderson was stronger
Funny, since Raines averaged more total bases per 162 games than Henderson did, and Henderson had a higher OBP. Wonder where those bases came from?
Doesn’t matter – your looking at factors in determining a stat. Henderson has almost 300 HRs and was simply stronger than Raines and more of a power hitter. Raines was more of a gap hitter.
Rickey had more home runs. Not necessarily more power. Point is moot because Rickey was an iconic player and Raines was a generational talent who should be a no-brainer for the HOF.
Well now it’s moot because you were wrong. Raines does not have more power than Henderson.
Of course he did. More TB per 162 games, high SLG%. Rickey swung from his heels a lot and ran into more. Raines put the ball where it needed to be and that’s not always over the fence. Since neither were pure mashers, that’s all there is to it.
Ricky almost hit 30 HRs twice and had 3 20+ HR seasons, Raines career high in HRs is 18 followed by one 16 HR year.
Ricky, in addition to his 3 20+ HR years had an 18 HR season as his 4th highest and 2 17 HR years.
Ricky was stronger and had more power. That’s all there is to it.
The problem with you is that you look at one number and paint everything with a broad brush. You need to understand how those numbers are acheived. To do that, you have to watch baseball and understand what you’re watching, not just go to a stats site and see who hit more home runs. You can have the last word, because I have better things to do than try to tech you why a guy with better TB numbers, a higher SLG%, more doubles and triples per 162 games has more power, being similar type players.
Also according to Baseball Ref Rickey was 5’10″ 180 and Raines was 5’8″ 160 so Rickey was also bigger than Raines in addition to being more powerful. Maybe the fact that Raines was smaller and a lot of his hits fell in the gaps or went down the line more may have added to his SLG and TB but it does not mean that he was stronger because he wasn’t.
Rickey was more of the pure power hitter and stronger….and bigger.
Mel Ott was 5’9, 170. I guess Rickey was bigger and stronger than him. Ernie Banks was 180lbs. I guess Rickey had the same power as he did. I’d love to stay and keep making you backtrack, but I really need to go now.
But Rickey is bigger and stronger than TIm Raines. That’s what we are talking about, not Mel Ott.
Okay I’ll take your advice and start watching baseball from now on.
I can see the way things are going now is that you lost the debate so you start with that other crap.
Rickey was bigger and stronger and more of a power hitter than the smaller Tim Raines.
I agree that Don Mattingly won’t get in because he didn’t play long enough, but only a couple of good seasons? It’s hard to believe that someone that had a .307 career average, almost 1100 RBI, and over 2,000 hits in only 14 seasons only put together a couple of good years.
I said Mattingly was a very good hitter that had a couple of great years. You misquoted what i said.
Sorry about that- just assumed I suppose.
no problem
Hey simmer down their buddy. I voted for Raines because at times he was a one man show out there and he could completely take over a game no matter who was on the mound. Raines was infinitely better than Lou Brock who was a strikeout machine, had a much worse stolen base percentage and was a terrible fielder. He was great leadoff hitter but was such a great hitter he was actually at his best batting third. Raines is a no brainer for the HOF and you dont have to be a saberheaed to love him.
Bayonne if you count Raines’ stolen bases into total bases, his SLG and OPS are just as high as anyone else’s. He got his bases through different methods, having to work harder to get those bases too.
I agree on Bagwell and McGriff, but why no Trammell or Larkin in your book?
Larkin should get in there and I don’t like Trammel’s number enough for the Hall Of Fame.
As for Henderson, he still had more power because you’re talking about factors the go into figuring out a statistic and I’m not. Henderson was simply more of a HR hitter than Raines and had more power.
Since I really was only around to see the downside of Henderson’s career, I can’t argue about what could be seen from game-to-game, But looking at statistics I see two very similar players.
Also something to take into consideration: Henderson had 2100 AB’s more than Raines, so he obviously has a leg up in career milestones.
Ricky Henderson twice almost hit 30 HRs, and had 3 season of 20+ HRs.
Henderson was stronger and more of a power hitter than Raines.
Same batting Avg, higher Slug and OB more 2B’s HR’s and RBI’s than Lou Brock playing in a lot less games and a lot fewer AB’s so you must think Brock isn’t a HOF’er either. Moneyball has nothing to do with it but of course you can’t make a single comment without some sort of agitation.Duh he was a leadoff hitter they’re supposed to get on base.
Don’t look now, but Raines was on base more than Tony Gwynn. ACK!
Raines certainly deserves to be in. Raines, Larkin and Bagwell would get my vote. The others… Nope.
Really kind of saddened the Bagwell is getting the Anti-steroid non-vote. He was awesome, regardless of the era he played in. Back-acne and all…
Love Mattingly but, sadly the back injury robbed him of having HOF career. It falls short though, number are similar to Kirby Pucket. With less power Keith Hernandez has similiar stats and won more gold gloves and he is not a HOFer.
I went off my vote for the Baseball Blogger’s Association. Larkin has always been a class-act, and he has proven himself as a winner. He has a great career on the offensive side, and he has alot of accolades that really show that he is a winner, and a Hall of Famer. He was the only guy I voted for.
I didn’t vote for Larry Walker in the BBA vote, but for the MMO voting, I decided to go for him. He has won an MVP award, he has 3 Silver Slugger awards, and was selected to 5 All-Star Games. He had a great nack for hitting, and showed that throughout his carrer winning awards.
Larry Walker is certainly not a HOFer, not even close.
Barry Larkin was just elected to the baseball hall of fame! Congrats Barry!
Morris 67%, 2nd place. I think that’s a good sign for Morris
He and Ron Santo will be in the 2012 Baseball Hall of Fame Class Inductees. Now I hope the Veterans Committee can finally elect Gil Hodges in the Hall of Fame for 2013.
Congrats to Larking, he definitely deserves it.
I probably would have voted for Morris too. I saw an article posted sometime last year making a case for him and it convinced me.
I have a question. Why is Fred McGriff not receiving more HOF votes. He played during the roid era and was never accused or mentioned in any of it and put up some great years. He also batted 284 for his career and just under 500 hrs. HE hit more home runs and hit for a better avg than Andre Dawson in less games played and less at bats.
It might be because McGriff was a 1B and the bar is a little higher, but when you take into account how many guys ahead of him were caught using PEDs, you’d think he’d get some leeway.
When I read my email the ballot was due the next day and I didnt vote for McGriff. In retrospect and after some time to research I would have added him to my other three picks Larkin, Raines, Trammell.