For more than three decades, Barry Larkin has been one of the faces of the Cincinnati Reds franchise.
A Cincinnati native, and the team's top draft pick in 1985, Larkin played all 19 of his big-league seasons for the team. He earned 12 All-Star nominations, helped the franchise to its most recent World Series title in 1990 and was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Larkin also plays a role in the Reds' future, serving as one of their roving minor-league instructors. Visiting the Tortugas for the first time this spring, Larkin will meet with season-ticket holders during a lunch event at noon Saturday.
Larkin spoke with The News-Journal earlier this week.
What are your impressions of the Tortugas thus far?
I think the fans ought to be excited because this is a really good team. It's going to be even stronger when we get a couple guys off the disabled list and start their seasons. I love the manager. Ricky Gutierrez is really positive and does a nice job with his coaching staff. There's solid pitching; there are some real studs throughout the lineup.
Who, in particular, has stood out most to you in the early going for the 2018 Tortugas?
Tyler Stephenson has continued what he started in spring training. I think he's made some of the biggest strides. He had some injuries last year, but he's healthy and moving much better behind the plate. He's hitting the heck out of the ball, and any time you hit, it makes you look much better defensively. Luis Gonzalez, at shortstop, as well. I'm a big fan of (Mitch) Nay. He's a new kid that we have this year. Bruce Yari hasn't hit yet, but is playing well defensively at first base. I could just continue, man — with TJ Friedl, Taylor Trammell. There's just talent everywhere.
What are your thoughts on automatically starting extra innings with a runner at second base?
I don't mind the rule change. I think it makes it much more intriguing and strategic, and it shortens the game. It's the same reason we have the pitch clock, or shot clock, or whatever the heck they call it now in between innings and the limited number of mound visits. I'm not opposed to it, but everything will tell in time.
Of all the players in the majors right now, who do you feel most resembles yourself?
Francisco Lindor is a guy that I work out with in the offseason. He and Dee Gordon are two guys that I'm really close to and spend a lot of time with. I watch them very closely. Lindor is a 30-home run shortstop, which I was the first in the game to do. That's kind of close to my heart. Frankie is my man. I like to think I see some similarities there.
The NBA playoffs start this weekend and your son, Shane, is a member of the Boston Celtics. How are you going to balance your responsibilities with the Reds and keep tabs on NBA games?
Strategically, I have this next week off. So I'll get a chance to see some of his games. I'm not sure (if we are going to Boston); I have to talk to my wife about that. … Just to see him playing at that level, and getting a chance to get back to the playoffs after going his first year with Dallas, hopefully he gets a chance. It's a dream come true to watch my son being in a sport as one of the best players in the world. He's in the NBA, for crying out loud.
The Reds have lost 90 games in three consecutive seasons and are off to another poor start. As an organization, what is the No. 1 priority required to begin a turnaround?
There's a multi-tiered answer to that. I think we just have to play a better brand of baseball; at the end of the day, that's what it is. It doesn't really fall on the shoulders of (manager) Bryan Price. Bryan Price is a great dude. He didn't throw a pitch, nor swing a bat, nor catch a ball. I don't watch enough of that level or interact enough with them to say, specifically, what they need to do differently. I'm sure they are trying hard and want to win, but for some reason it's not happening.
You stated a desire to manage at some point, though only for the Reds. When do you anticipate is the right time to make the jump?
I love what I'm doing now. I love the relationship that I have with the players. I love player development. That's what fuels my fire at this point. I don't know how much player development there is managing at the major league level.
My answer has always been that I'd only want to manage in Cincinnati. Other opportunities have come my way. I interviewed for the Tampa Bay job; Detroit asked as well. There have been other organizations, but I'm a Cincinnati Red. Whatever it is, however I can help the organization is what I'm willing to do. I'm not looking to move into that position any time soon. It would be an ownership and general manager decision. If they have some interest and they want to talk to me about that, then I would talk to them about it. But I'm not pursuing it, and I love doing what I'm doing.
What sort of advice do you try to give the younger players?
You can insert the proper mindset early and develop around that. You have to have a plan, and I think that's the most important thing — getting them early, imparting the wisdom on them and letting them hear how it's going to work out. This isn't something that I think; it's something that I know because it's something I experienced. I was a 20-year-old rookie in the big leagues. … Giving them that kind of insight is important early in their career. They might not be able to physically accomplish or apply a certain technique, but if they can have a general, overall knowledge base of what it takes in order to be successful, then I think they can better develop their plan around it. I enjoy being able to step into a young player's life and career early, give them something that took me and players in my generation years of trial and error to get to, so they don't make some of the mistakes we made.