HOF ’12: Barry Larkin

Barry Larkin, longtime Cincinnati Reds SS, is now a Hall of Famer.  My two comments on this year’s class:

1. Good for Barry.  He (from what I hear/read) was a class act, hustler, and loyal to the city of Cincinnati.  I got to see the end of his career, and he was always (96-early 2000s) one of the most well-rounded shortstops in the game.

2. Please do not be offended by this, but Larkin doesn’t strike me as a HOFer.  He was the epitome of stability (and his stats reflect as such), but never really excelled in any phase of the game enough for me to have voted for him (had I procured a vote).

Your thoughts?  Anyone out there have a strong case for Mr. Larkin?  I’m open to re-interpretation considering how long he played before I began watching baseball.