Uncategorized

Is Barry Larkin The Greatest MLB Shortstop Ever?

Published

2 years ago

February 8, 2022

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

From 1986 to 2004, a fantastic shortstop showed he knew how to gracefully defend the great uniform of the Cincinnati Reds, one of MLB’s best teams in the seventies and eighties: Barry Larkin was his name.

Speedy, athletic, and solid in nearly all facets of the game, Larkin put together an excellent career, one that made him one of the best players at his position.

Larkin’s career was impressive form just about any angle.

Is he the greatest shortstop in the history of the league?

The answer is no, although he was an authentic star back in the day.

He Was Incredibly Good, But Not The Best

Larkin hit .295/.371/.444 with 198 home runs, 1,329 runs scored, 960 RBI, and 379 stolen bases.

He was an above-average hitter, evidenced by his solid .815 OPS.

Larkin was also a very, very good fielder: however, since part of his prime was shared with Ozzie Smith (the greatest defensive shortstop of all time) he “only” won three Gold Gloves, between 1994 and 1996.

It was fun to watch @BarryLarkin in the field. pic.twitter.com/x2Ywv67IJi
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) February 8, 2022

The Reds’ star was also an on-base threat: he stole as many as 51 bases in a single season, in 1995.

That year, he won the National League’s Most Valuable Player award, after hitting .319/.394/.492 with 15 homers, 98 runs, and 66 RBI, plus the 51 thefts.

A year later, he would become the first shortstop with a 30-30 season: he was a real dual threat.

.@BarryLarkin was the first 30/30 shortstop in MLB history! #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/qAcDyU9RWz
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) February 7, 2022

Larkin went to the All-Star Game 12 times (1988–1991, 1993–1997, 1999, 2000, 2004), and lifted the World Series trophy in 1990.

Besides the already mentioned MVP and Gold Glove awards, he won the Silver Slugger nine times (1988–1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999).

The Reds retired his number 11, and since 2012, he is a member of the Hall of Fame.

He accumulated 67 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), which is a way to measure how much a player contributed to his team compared to a replacement-level player.

WAR considers offense, defense, baserunning, and virtually every contribution.

Among MLB shortstops in history, his WAR output ranks 10th.

That’s why he can’t be considered the best of all time: statistically, a handful of shortstop were just better.

Other Shortstops Had Better Careers

Honus Wagner, for example, had 138.1 WAR, leading the standings.

Alex Rodriguez played a lot of shortstop during his early years, and was significantly better than Larkin.

Cal Ripken Jr. accumulated 92.5 WAR, much more than Larkin, and also has a bigger place in baseball because of his record for consecutive games played.

Derek Jeter had 73.1 WAR, and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, with five World Series rings and lots of postseason records.

Larkin was considerably better at hitting than Smith, but the latter was just superior defensively.

In short, Larking was a fantastic MLB shortstop, a true star in a league in which that particular word is often misused.

He is, deservingly, a Hall of Famer if we consider his statistical output and what he means to the game.

But he is not the best shortstop ever: Wagner, Jeter, Ripken, and Smith are all better than him, and some other lesser known players at the position also have a case to be regarded as better than Larkin.

The post Is Barry Larkin The Greatest MLB Shortstop Ever? appeared first on The Cold Wire.

Source link

Related Topics:Barry greatest Larkin MLB shortstop

Up Next

3 Potential Start Dates For The 2022 MLB Season

Don't Miss

2022 NFL Mock Draft: Senior Bowl standouts Jermaine Johnson, Malik Willis move up board; Jags take OL No. 1

Click to comment

Uncategorized

Will Smith crushes a two-run home run to centerfield to give Dodgers an early lead against Giants

Published

3 mins ago

September 30, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

Will Smith crushed a two-run home run to centerfield to give the Los Angeles Dodgers an early lead against the San Francisco Giants.

Source link

Uncategorized

Warriors Reporter Comments On Team’s Rumored Pursuit Of Jrue Holiday

Published

7 mins ago

September 30, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

After agreeing to trade Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal on Wednesday, the Portland Trail Blazers have been left with veteran guard Jrue Holiday in return.

Holiday has been rumored to be on the market immediately, and a number of teams are reportedly interested in him.

There have been some whispers that the Golden State Warriors may want to acquire him, but per 95.7 The Game, Monte Poole of NBC Sports says that the team getting Chris Paul earlier this summer means it is extremely unlikely it will pursue Holiday.

"The Warriors have invested into Chris Paul. They've done all of this work to build him up to the fans and to themselves. They've explained why he's necessary. So if they trade him now for a guy like Jrue Holiday, who's a great player, the best 2-way player in the league, if… pic.twitter.com/A0nJ8Jgupv
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) September 29, 2023

Golden State got Paul when it let go of Jordan Poole, who had been one of their brightest young players and a key member of their 2022 championship team, and while some were surprised they made the move and got considerably older, others feel Paul will help them.

The thinking is that his ability to facilitate, handle the ball, and get the ball to the right players at the right time will take pressure off of the 35-year-old Stephen Curry.

Holiday, who is 33, can not only do lots of what Paul can do on the offensive end, but he is also an outstanding defender who can lock down opposing stars.

He was a key member and the missing piece of the Bucks team that won it all in 2021, and if he still has plenty left in the tank, he could help some team get to the next level.

It will be interesting to see how urgently Portland trades Holiday or if they preach patience and hold onto him until midseason.

The post Warriors Reporter Comments On Team’s Rumored Pursuit Of Jrue Holiday appeared first on The Cold Wire.

Source link

Uncategorized

NFL Updates Its Betting Policy For Players

Published

11 mins ago

September 30, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

With sports betting sweeping the nation in terms of becoming legal in more states than ever before, the NFL has started to embrace gambling as part of its product, with the act no longer being frowned upon but profited from.

Even though California has yet to embrace sports gambling, more than half the states in the country have made it legal, which makes for a lot of revenue to be made, especially now that the league is all-in.

However, along with it being legal to gamble on NFL games throughout the majority of the country comes a higher risk of players trying to take advantage of gambling on their games or on other teams in the league, which can turn out to be a messy situation that needs to be controlled.

On Friday, the NFL took a stricter stance with a new anti-sports gambling policy for players in the league, with some severe penalties, according to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS.

Here’s a look at the league’s new anti-sports gambling policy. If a player bets on a game involving his team it will now be an indefinite suspension of at least 2 years. pic.twitter.com/29SgP2epBH
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) September 29, 2023

So, according to the new policy in the NFL, if a player bets on his team, it will result in an indefinite suspension of two years, which in some cases could mean a playing career could be over.

If an NFL player simply bets on NFL football in general, that will result in a minimum of one year of being suspended.

If an NFL player tries to fix an NFL game, that’s the most severe penalty, which will result in that player being banished by the league, and understandably so.

The post NFL Updates Its Betting Policy For Players appeared first on The Cold Wire.

Source link