Barry Larkin the lone Hall of Famer of the 2012 Class

Shortstop Barry Larkin was the only member of the 2012 class that was admitted to the Hall of Fame. The long time shortshop for the Reds was above average at the plate and in the field. However, he was not a hall of fame caliber player. He is a career .295 hitter with 198 homers.

Plagued by injuries for much of his career, Larkin missed out on much time during his prime. Don't get me wrong. Larkin was a good player. He wasn't a great player. The major argument for Larkin stems from his position. For a shortstop, he was a very good hitter, but players shouldn't receive praise for hitting well as a shortstop. The only position in which extra consideration should be placed for hitting abilities is catcher. Catchers under extreme amounts of physical stress behind the plate, making their offensive abilities diminished. Shortstops are fatigued just as much as second basemen, third basemen, and outfielders.

Admitting Barry Larkin is controversial, but most seem to be in favor of it. I am happy for Larkin because he definitely was a good player. However, the standards of the Hall of Fame need to be maintained. We cannot admit borderline players like Barry Larkin like that.