Happy Birthday to one of my all time favorite players!
Barry Larkin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended Archbishop Moeller High School. Larkin initially accepted a football scholarship to the University of Michigan but during his freshman year decided to focus exclusively on baseball. He was a two-time Big Ten player of the Year, two-time All American and led Michigan to two College World Series berths (1983, 1984). Larkin was selected by MLB’s Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round (4th overall) where he had a Hall of Fame career, that included one World Series Championship, one NL MVP, 12 All Star appearances, 3-Time Gold Gloves and 9-Time Silver Slugger award winner. Larkin’s number 11 was retired by the Reds in 2012. Larkin’s combination of power and speed along with his defensive ability made him one of the top players during his time and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.