Barry Larkin Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

 Associated Press photo

Barry Larkin, the 19-year All-Star shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today. The announcement was made this afternoon on MLB Network.

This was Larkin's third year of eligibility on the HOF ballot. Last year, he received 361 of the possible 581 votes, giving him a tally of 62% of the 75% needed for induction. This time around, Larkin received an admirable 86% of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America.

In Larkin's 19 seasons with the Reds, he recorded  a 2.95 ERa with 198 home runs, 960 RBIs and 2,340 hits. For his career, Larkin stole 379 bases, and became the first shortstop to enter baseball's 30-30 club with 36 stolen bases and 33 home runs in 1996. He is an 11-time All-Star and only the second life-long Red behind Johnny Bench to be inducted to the Hall.

"I was so excited about [this]," Larkin said on MLB Network after the announcement. "And just to hear that phone ring...is amazing!"

There were many in the baseball world who were disappointed that Larkin was not elected last year. There had been much comparison of Larkin to other players and shortstops like his Reds teammate Ozzie Davis who are already in the Hall. Although it seemed inevitable that he would get in eventually, some argued that compared to his counterparts, perhaps Larkin should have gone in on his first ballot.

Now that the wait is over, Larkin can look forward to the induction ceremony which will be held in Cooperstown, NY during the July 20-23 weekend. It's sure to be a great moment for one of the greatest shortstops ever.

"I am so phenomenally proud to be inducted to the Hall," Larkin said.

Congratulations Barry!

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper