Barry Larkin is Only Former Cincinnati Red Worthy of Team's Hall of Fame

The Cincinnati Reds currently are going through fan balloting to determine the next former player to be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame. Looking at the list, maybe the Reds should pare down their list a bit. After all, shouldn't Hall of Fame induction be limited to the truly elite?

Only one player on the Reds list is a slam dunk for the team's Hall of Fame and eventual induction in the national Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Shortstop Barry Larkin is a lock to gain entry to both halls, but if Reds fans have their say, Larkin could eventually be joined in the Reds Hall of Fame by some decidely lackluster teammates.

Larkin was incredibly popular in Cincinnati and will most certainly will earn the fans' nomination this year, which begs the question, why did the Reds trot out 11 other names when Larkin is the clear choice? The field easily could be whittled down to less than a half dozen. Reds fans are voting by paper ballot at games all season long and can also vote (up to 10 times) by e-mail. The top vote-getter will earn the Hall of Fame nod.

The Reds' list includes pitchers Norm Charlton, Rob Dibble, Jeff Brantley and Tom Hume, none of who seem to be Cincinnati Hall of Fame material.

Charlton and Dibble enjoyed briefly notorious success as two of the three members of the "Nasty Boys" bullpen that helped the Reds win the 1990 World Series. Charlton played 15 major league seasons but only six with the Reds. Although he amassed 97 career saves and logged a respectable 3.71 ERA, it is a stretch to call Charlton someone Reds fans remember as great. If elected to the team Hall of Fame, though, he would earn the distinction of being the only left-handed relief pitcher in the Reds Hall of Fame.

Dibble reined as one of the game's hardest-throwing pitchers and in six seasons with the Reds, he had an ERA under 3.00 and racked up 88 of his 89 career saves. The hot-tempered Dibble is also remembered by some Reds fans for his infamous locker room scuffle with team manager Lou Piniella. Again, Dibble made some memories in Cincinnati but his accomplishments are not worthy of Hall of Fame status on a team with such a storied history.

Brantley and Hume also fall short of the mark. Brantley, although productive as the Reds closer, spent only four of his 14 big league seasons with the Reds. Hume had a mostly pedestrian career as a starter and reliever, going 57-71 over 12 seasons, including 10 years in the Reds organization.

Position players that are candidates include Dan Driessen, Ray Knight, Ron Oester, Joe Oliver, Paul O'Neill, Dave Parker, Hal Morris, and Chris Sabo. Cases could be made for a few of those players - especially if you consider their entire careers - but none of them have Larkin's mix of MVP statistics, love from the fans and two decades of service with the team. Considering only the Cincinnati portions of their careers, Larkin looms even larger over the field of prospective Hall of Famers.

Knight, Driessen, and Parker all put together nice careers. Driessen spent 12 of his 18 big league seasons with the Reds, racking up some decent numbers and playing as a member of the 1970s Big Red Machine. Knight and Parker also put up some good numbers and Parker's career peaked during his time with the Reds. But Knight spent only six of his 14 pro seasons in the Queen City; Parker was with the team for only a fraction of his 20-year career - just four seasons. Plus, all three of these players are long-ago retired; if they haven't been elected to the Reds Hall of Fame, has 20 more years made them any more worthy? Probably not.

Oester was a fan favorite and spent his entire 14-year career with the Reds. He, like Larkin, is a Cincinnati native and likely will garner as many votes as any of the other contenders for the Reds Hall of Fame, except for Larkin. But in reality, while Oester is a sentimental pick for some, a .265 lifetime batting average and 42 career homeruns probably aren't Hall of Fame material.

The other four on the list - O'Neill, Morris, Sabo and Oliver - were all on the 1990 world championship team. O'Neill has the best career numbers of the bunch but really didn't hit his prime until he went to the New York Yankees, where he played nine of his 17 seasons. In fact, during several of his years in Cincinnati, O'Neill platooned with other players in right field. Morris was known as a solid hitter with a .304 lifetime batting average and spent 10 of his 14 seasons with the Reds during two stints. But Morris only twice drive in more than 70 runs in a season and only appeared in more than 120 games twice during his Reds years. Sabo was a fan favorite early in his career and won a rookie of the year award. Fans liked his hardworking nature, but Sabo's lifetime batting average of .268 and his frequent absence from the lineup would make him a tough pick for the Hall of Fame.

And what about Oliver? This is probably the most bizarre pick by the Reds organization of all. The forgettable catcher spent eight years with the Reds and bounced around the league for a total of 15 years. His .247 career average doesn't exactly conjure memories of offensive greatness, although he did have a lifetime fielding percentage of .989. Still, Oliver doesn't belong in the same Hall of Fame that calls Johnny Bench one its charter members.

Which leaves only Larkin. Larkin spent his entire 19-year career with the Reds, winning three Gold Gloves and establishing himself as the National League's best shortstop during that time. He won a league MVP award and overall collected 2,340 base hits, 198 homers, knocked in 960 runs, and stole 379 bases. Clearly, Larkin stands head and shoulders above the rest of the prospective field, making the summer-long selection process rather farcical.

Even worse will be next year's nomination process. With Larkin presumably in the hall, who will become the next former Red to be inducted? That will be a lively competition, but the winner's invitation to the Hall of Fame will seem a bit tainted by the mediocrity of the field.