Barry Larkin is a former professional baseball player. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Larkin attended the University of Michigan, where he played college baseball. He briefly played in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 1986.

Larkin played shortstop for the MLB's Cincinnati Reds from 1986 to 2004. He quickly won the starting shortstop role for the Reds and enjoyed a long run of strong seasons with the team. Larkin struggled with a string of injuries between 1997 and 2003, limiting his playing time in several seasons. Larkin is considered one of the top players of his era, winning nine Silver Slugger awards, three Gold Glove awards, and the 1995 National League Most Valuable Player Award. He was selected to the Major League All-Star Game twelve times, and was one of the pivotal players on the 1990 Reds' World Series championship team.

Larkin retired after the 2004 season and worked in a front office position for the Washington Nationals for several years until he joined ESPN as a baseball analyst. He served as a coach for the American team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and managed the Brazilian national team for the same event in 2013. Larkin was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in January 2012 and was inducted on July 22, 2012.