Barry Larkin persevered through doubt to reach Hall of Fame

Barry Larkin was a supremely athletic shortstop, whose acrobatic flair and know-no-limits daring resulted in spectacular plays. He was steady and productive on offense, a basestealer who could hit with enough authority to win nine Silver Slugger Awards.

In short, Larkin was a complete player, a Hall of Fame talent, as it turned out. He reached the Reds after a brief apprenticeship in the Minors. Larkin was so gifted, it's hard to imagine he ever questioned his ability. But he did.

"The first thing a young shortstop will have to go through is understanding he belongs," Larkin said. "I remember asking myself and asking people around me, 'Am I cut out to do this? Am I good enough?' There's a lot of self-doubt, a lot of questions."

Larkin said he sought counsel from, among others, his mother and Cincinnati players such as Dave Parker, Eric Davis, Buddy Bell, Ron Oester and Dave Concepcion, all of them with the Reds when Larkin joined the team in August 1986.

He had to clear two unusual hurdles at the outset of his career. Larkin had to beat out Kurt Stillwell, who arrived in Cincinnati early in the '86 season and was more than just another young Reds shortstop prospect. Stillwell was a personal favorite of Cincinnati owner Marge Schott.

Additionally, Larkin had to get his bearings in the big leagues. Hard enough for any young player, but harder still when playing in his hometown. Larkin was born and raised in Cincinnati, starred at Moeller High School there, and was drafted in the second round and 51st overall by the Reds in '82. Larkin went to the University of Michigan, and the Reds took him again, fourth overall in the '85 Draft.

"I remember as a rookie, looking at my jersey when I was in the infield and looking at the name 'Cincinnati' and understanding, 'Wow, I'm representing a city, my hometown,'" Larkin said. "That all goes into the self-doubt. 'Can I do this? I have responsibilities. Can I handle those responsibilities?'"

Bell went on to manage the Tigers and Rockies and was fond of saying, "Good players can slow the game down." But as Larkin, who obviously was an exceptionally good player, discovered, that is a process and not something that happens right away.