Barry Larkin and the Hall of Fame

[Chris-Counts]

If Larkin wasn't great, than what shortstop who's in the Hall of Fame, besides Honus Wagner (the greatest shortstop ever, hands down) and Ernie Banks (who played more than half his career at first base), would you consider great? No doubt A-Rod and Derek Jeter will one day join the list and likely second and third. But I checked Larkin's numbers and he measured up well against everybody else (Luke Appling, Joe Cronin, Joe Sewell, Arky Vaughan, Ozzie Smith, Robin Yount, etc.). Based on the unreasonably high standards that many now argue for, Wagner might be the only deserving shortstop currently enshrined in Cooperstown.

And by the way, if it were up to me, I would put shortstops Alan Trammell and Cecil Travis in the Hall of Fame, each of whom was better than half the shortstops already there. Heck, Dick Groat was better than four or five of them.