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Rdikeman at the English Wikipedia, Baseball barry larkin 2004, CC BY-SA 3.0 
Johnmaxmena, Ozzie Smith 1983, CC BY 3.0
As perhaps the most valuable defensive position in baseball (outside of catcher), shortstops are required to be slick fielders with rocket arms, even at the expense of their offensive production. Among the long list of great shortstops in MLB history, two of the best ever defensively were Barry Larkin of the Cincinnati Reds and Ozzie Smith, most famously of the St. Louis Cardinals. Smith is arguably the greatest defensive player in baseball history (either him or Brooks Robinson, take your pick), while Larkin was excellent for many years with both the bat and the glove, thus leading to an interesting comparison/debate between the two Hall of Fame shortstops:
Who was better – Barry Larkin or Ozzie Smith?
The Beginning
Larkin was always destined for baseball stardom en route to the major leagues, whereas Smith gradually developed the hitting acumen necessary to complement his defensive skills.
A Cincinnati native, Larkin starred in both football and baseball in high school and was originally drafted in the second round of the 1982 MLB Draft by the hometown Reds. However, he instead opted to attend the University of Michigan on a football scholarship, but ultimately decided to focus on baseball, where he was a 2x Big Ten Player of the Year and 2x All-American while leading the Wolverines to back-to-back College World Series appearances. As a result, Larkin was then drafted fourth overall in the first round of the 1985 MLB Draft, again by the Reds – upon making his big league debut in 1986, he hit .283 with 3 home runs, 19 runs batted in, 27 runs scored, a .320 on-base percentage, and a .403 slugging percentage, good for a 95 OPS+ (which measures on-base percentage plus slugging vs. a league-wide average set at 100) and a seventh-place finish for NL Rookie of the Year.
In contrast, Smith was born in Mobile, Alabama as the second of six kids, but moved to Los Angeles as a youngster. He played both basketball and baseball in high school, where he was teammates with future NBA player Marques Johnson on the basketball team and with future Hall of Fame slugger Eddie Murray on the baseball team. After graduation, Smith attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and walked onto the baseball team, learning to switch-hit en route to becoming an All-American and the school record-holder for stolen bases. Between his junior and senior years, he was drafted in the seventh round of the 1976 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers, but returned to school and was subsequently drafted in the fourth round of the 1977 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. As a rookie in 1978, Smith hit .258 with 1 home run, 46 runs batted in, 69 runs scored, 40 stolen bases, a .311 on-base percentage, and a .312 slugging percentage (82 OPS+) to finish second for NL Rookie of the Year; moreover, he first introduced the backflip that would become his signature move.
Career Comparison
Throughout careers that spanned nearly 20 years apiece, Larkin and Smith were consistently among the finest defensive players in baseball; at the same time, they also put together some great offensive seasons that propelled them into the MVP conversation at various points in the 1980s and 1990s.
Following a dip in his sophomore campaign, Larkin bounced back in 1988 with the first of four straight All-Star selections (12x overall) and the first of five consecutive Silver Sluggers (9x overall), hitting .296 with 12 home runs, 56 runs batted in, 91 runs scored, 40 stolen bases, a .347 on-base percentage, and a .429 slugging percentage (119 OPS+). The next year, he was limited to only 97 games, but had a career-high .342 batting average with 4 home runs, 36 runs batted in, 47 runs scored, a .375 on-base percentage, and a .446 slugging percentage, good for a 131 OPS+. Over the next five years, Larkin would hit .300+ each season – notably, he flashed a power stroke in 1991, hitting .302 and blasting 20 home runs with 69 runs batted in, 88 runs scored, 24 stolen bases, a .378 on-base percentage, and a .506 slugging percentage (143 OPS+).
After missing out on the All-Star Game in 1992, Larkin started another streak of five consecutive All-Star selections in 1993; moreover, during the strike-shortened 1994 season, in addition to hitting .279 with 9 home runs, 52 runs batted in, 78 runs scored, 26 stolen bases, a .369 on-base percentage, and a .419 slugging percentage (107 OPS+), he won the first of three straight Gold Gloves for his defensive prowess. During the 1995 season, Larkin was named NL MVP, the first shortstop to win the honors since Maury Wills in 1962 (Cal Ripken Jr. had last won AL MVP in 1991), and won both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger – he hit .319 with 15 home runs, 66 runs batted in, 98 runs score, a career-high 51 stolen bases, a .394 on-base percentage, and a .429 slugging percentage, good for a 134 OPS+. He was arguably even better in 1996, batting .298 with career-highs of 33 home runs, 89 runs batted in, and 117 runs scored, plus 36 stolen bases for a .410 on-base percentage and a career-high .567 slugging percentage (155 OPS+) to again win both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger and become the first shortstop with a 30-30 season (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases).
Larkin was named the first Reds captain since Dave Concepcion in 1997 and while he was limited by nagging injuries to just 73 games played, he still hit .317 with a career-high .440 on-base percentage. As he neared 40 years old, he had his last couple of great seasons at the turn of the century:
- 1999: .293 batting average with 12 home runs, 75 runs batted in, 108 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, a .390 on-base percentage, and a .420 slugging percentage (103 OPS+); selected as an All-Star and won final Silver Slugger
- 2000: .313 batting average with 11 home runs, 41 runs batted in, 71 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, a .389 on-base percentage, and a .487 slugging percentage (118 OPS+); selected as an All-Star
However, 2000 was the last time Larkin would hit .300+ and he was plagued by injuries over his last few seasons. As a 40-year-old in 2004, he showed glimpses of his former greatness (.289 with 8 home runs, 44 runs batted in, 55 runs scored, a .352 on-base percentage, and a .419 slugging percentage, good for a 101 OPS+) and made the All-Star Game for the final time before retiring at season’s end, having played his entire career with the Reds.
Meanwhile, Smith won his first of 13 consecutive Gold Gloves in 1980, setting a single-season record for assists at the position; however, offensively, he hit a paltry .230 (actually an improvement over the previous year’s .211 batting average), though did have a career-high 57 stolen bases. As a member of the Padres, he was generally a below-average hitter, never batting higher than his .258 rookie average or having an OPS+ above 100 and hitting a grand total of one home run with the team. Nevertheless, Smith earned the first of a dozen straight All-Star selections in 1981 – despite hitting .222, he earned the moniker of “The Wizard” for his incredible defensive play. After four years in San Diego, increasing tensions with the team resulted in a six-player trade ahead of the 1982 season that sent Smith to the Cardinals, where he would spend the rest of his career.
In his first season with St. Louis, Smith finished 13th for NL MVP in 1982 despite batting only .248. Offensively, he did manage to improve, with 1985 being his best offensive year to-date: .276 batting average with 6 home runs (a career-high), 54 runs batted in, 70 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, a .355 on-base percentage, and a .361 slugging percentage (101 OPS+, his first time above 100). A few years later, Smith had the best season of his career, setting a slew of career-best marks by hitting .303 (his only time above .300) with no home runs, 75 runs batted in, 104 runs scored, 43 stolen bases, a .392 on-base percentage, and a .383 slugging percentage, good for a 105 OPS+; not only he was an All-Star and Gold Glover yet again, but Smith also won his only Silver Slugger and finished second for NL MVP to Andre Dawson, resulting in him becoming the senior circuit’s highest-paid player. Smith had a strong encore in 1988, batting .270 with 3 home runs, 51 runs batted in, 80 runs scored, 57 stolen bases (tying his career-best mark), a .350 on-base percentage, and a .336 slugging percentage (98 OPS+).
Entering the 1990s and his mid-30s, Smith continued to play at a high level for the Cardinals. Notably, in 1991, he hit .285 with 3 home runs, 50 runs batted in, 96 runs scored, 35 stolen bases, a .380 on-base percentage, and a .367 slugging percentage for a career-best 112 OPS+. Smith won the final of his record 13 Gold Gloves at shortstop in 1992, also hitting .295 on the year; however, the next year (1993) marked his first time missing out on the All-Star team since 1980. To close out his career, he returned to All-Star status in 1994 and made three more All-Star teams, though was in a platoon role with Royce Clayton by 1996 and would retire after season’s end at age 41.
With 19 years of MLB service apiece, Larkin and Smith each played over 2,000 career games, though the latter has a sizable lead in both games and at-bats due to better durability. However, Larkin has superior offensive numbers almost across the board, both counting statistics and averages, with the exception of career hits and walks (due to Smith having significantly more at-bats) plus stolen bases; in fact, Smith’s career 87 OPS+ suggests that for his career, he was actually a below-average hitter overall, whereas Larkin hit .300+ 9x (vs. once for Smith) and had nine seasons with double-digit home runs (Smith never hit more than 6 in a season). Nevertheless, due to his defense, Smith has 15 All-Star Game selections to Larkin’s 12, and won a record 13 Gold Gloves (vs. 3 for Larkin); offensively, though, Larkin won an MVP award and was a 9x Silver Slugger (vs. 1x for Smith). In terms of career Wins Above Replacement (WAR), the two shortstops are remarkably close, with Smith’s 76.9 slightly ahead of Larkin’s 70.5; however, it should be noted that Smith has the highest career defensive WAR in MLB history at 44.2, nearly 5 WAR better than second-place Mark Belanger at 39.5 and more than 3x that of Larkin (14.4). Regardless of the offensive vs. defensive genius of each shortstop, both are now immortalized in the Hall of Fame (Smith – 2002, Larkin – 2012).
Regular Season Statistics
| Barry Larkin | Player | Ozzie Smith |
| 19 (1986-2004) | Seasons | 19 (1978-1996) |
| 2,180 | Games Played | 2,573 |
| 7,937 | At-Bats | 9,396 |
| 2,340 | Hits | 2,460 |
| 1,329 | Runs | 1,257 |
| 198 | Home Runs | 28 |
| 960 | Runs Batted In | 793 |
| 939 | Walks | 1,072 |
| 379 | Stolen Bases | 580 |
| .295 | Batting Average | .262 |
| .371 | On-Base Percentage | .337 |
| .444 | Slugging Percentage | .328 |
| 116 | OPS+ | 87 |
| 70.5 | Wins Above Replacement | 76.9 |
| 12x | All-Star Games | 15x |
| 1x | MVP | – |
| 1x | World Series Titles | 1x |
| 9x Silver Slugger, 3x Gold Glove | Other Awards | 1x Silver Slugger, 13x Gold Glove |
| 2012 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2002 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Despite only a handful of postseason appearances each, both Larkin and Smith helped lead their respective teams to World Series titles and played key roles in these championship runs.
Larkin made the playoffs just twice in his nearly 20-year career, but made those trips count. In 1990, the Reds swept the favored Oakland Athletics in the World Series for their most recent title – after batting .261 with 5 runs scored and 3 stolen bases in the NLCS, Larkin hit .353 (6 hits in 17 at-bats) in the World Series. Later, during his 1995 MVP season, he hit .385 and stole 4 bases in an NLDS sweep of the Los Angeles and followed up by batting .389 in the NLCS, but Cincinnati was swept by the Atlanta Braves.
As for Smith, all four of his postseason trips came with the Cardinals, three of which resulted in World Series matchups. The first one in 1982 was a seven-game victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, though Smith only hit .208 after batting .556 in the NLCS. A few years later, he was MVP of the 1985 NLCS, hitting .435 in a six-game victory over the Dodgers, including a walk-off home run in Game 5; however, the Cardinals lost in a heartbreaking seven games in the World Series to George Brett and the Kansas City Royals, with Smith hitting a paltry .087. Finally, in 1987, St. Louis fell to Kirby Puckett and the Minnesota Twins in a seven-game World Series loss – outside of his usual stellar defense, Smith was again quiet with the bat, hitting .200 in the NLCS and then .214 in the World Series.
Playoff Statistics
| Barry Larkin | Player | Ozzie Smith |
| 17 | Games Played | 42 |
| 71 | At-Bats | 144 |
| 24 | Hits | 34 |
| 11 | Runs | 14 |
| – | Home Runs | 1 |
| 3 | Runs Batted In | 10 |
| 7 | Walks | 20 |
| 8 | Stolen Bases | 6 |
| .338 | Batting Average | .236 |
| .397 | On-Base Percentage | .325 |
| .465 | Slugging Percentage | .292 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; whether it be injuries for Larkin or age for Smith, each was clearly no longer as effective in their late 30s, though still managed All-Star selections in their final seasons. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Barry Larkin | Player | Ozzie Smith |
| 1988-1992, 1994-1996, 1998-1999 | Decade of Dominance | 1982-1989, 1991-1992 |
| 1,368 | Games Played | 1,482 |
| 5,085 | At-Bats | 5,339 |
| 1,540 | Hits | 1,462 |
| 881 | Runs | 752 |
| 141 | Home Runs | 20 |
| 660 | Runs Batted In | 502 |
| 621 | Walks | 692 |
| 288 | Stolen Bases | 363 |
| .303 | Batting Average | .274 |
| .380 | On-Base Percentage | .357 |
| .462 | Slugging Percentage | .348 |
| 56.1 | Wins Above Replacement | 56.4 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Across their decades of dominance, Larkin is clearly superior offensively (with the exception of walks and stolen bases), but their respective WARs are essentially identical due to Smith’s defensive wizardry.
My Thoughts
In comparing and contrasting Barry Larkin vs. Ozzie Smith, the key question is how much you value offense vs. defense when measuring overall greatness. For certain positions (e.g. such as first base), defense is almost afterthought to offensive production, but that is not the case at shortstop, where defensive ability often reigns supreme. Thus, do you go with Larkin’s more balanced game (Silver Slugger at the position offensively, though not necessarily one of the top hitters overall in baseball, plus Gold Glove-caliber defense) or Smith’s all-time defensive greatness with passable offensive abilities? In this particular case, because of the defensive premium at the position and his transcendent skills, my preference is for Smith; beyond just the “eye test” and sizzle factor, advanced metrics likewise point to his value – even with league-average offense (or below) for much of his career, Smith’s career WAR is nevertheless higher than Larkin’s over the same amount of seasons played, a true testament to his GOAT defensive genius.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Ozzie Smith
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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