Former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin is expected to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Monday, joining veterans committee selection Ron Santo as this year’s additions to Cooperstown.

I’ve always considered Larkin a solid major-leaguer, one of the better shortstops of his day. Very good all-around player. But I’ve never thought of him as a Hall of Famer.

Perhaps most remarkably, considering today’s volatile free agent market, Larkin was able to play his entire 19-year career in Cincinnati, his home town. That doesn’t happen enough these days. Stats will show you that Larkin accumulated 2,340 hits, 198 home runs, 960 RBIs and 379 stolen bases.

He played in 12 All-Star Games and won three Gold Gloves. Today’s sabermetric freaks will point to his .815 OPS, which ranks fourth among shortstops who played 2,000 games or more (with at least 60 percent at the position). Only Joe Cronin, Honus Wagner and Derek Jeter were better. OPS is the sum of on-base and slugging percentages, highlighting one’s ability to get on base and hit for power.

Wonderful player, Larkin. Just doesn’t pass the Hall of Fame test, in my eyes at least. My HOF test is simple, broken down into two parts. Was he the dominant player at his position for the majority of his career? Do the words  “Hall of Famer” automatically jump out at you when you consider the player?

Mariano Rivera?

Cal Ripken?

Barry Larkin?

Yes to the first two, no to the last. If there’s no inner argument, he’s a Hall of Famer. If there’s doubt, well, that speaks volumes. In my opinion, the Hall of Fame should be for the no-doubt-about-it candidates, of which there are none on this year’s ballot.

Larkin’s decade was the 90s, when he played in nine of the 10 All-Star Games. He also made the squad as a reserve in 1989 and as a starter in 2000. In all, he started five midsummer classics, four after Ozzie Smith retired.

His American League counterpart for the first half of his career was Ripken. Later it became A-Rod, Jeter and Nomar. Like international soccer players, only one name was necessary. And throw in Omar Vizquel for good measure.

Larkin was the National League’s starting shortstop in 1993, 96, 97, 99 and 2000. His backups those years? Ozzie in 1996, Jeff Blauser twice, Jay Bell, Mark Grudzielanek, Royce Clayton, Edgar Renteria (who also started the 1998 game) and Alex Gonzalez. Not exactly a murderer’s row of rival shortstops.

If anything, Barry Larkin’s stats mirror those of former Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell, who played from 1977 to 1996. Again, wonderful player; doesn’t pass the HOF test. And once Larkin is elected, you will find an upsurge in support for Trammel. It’s the Kirby Puckett-Don Mattingly argument all over again. And for the record, I believe Mattingly has a better Hall of Fame case than either Larkin or Trammell.

The voters have decided through the years that anyone who collects 300 victories, 500 home runs or 3,000 hits is worthy of the Hall of Fame. That’s why former Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton – 324 wins, but  never the ace of his staff in Los Angeles, is in. That’s why the Astros’ Craig Biggio – 3,060 hits – will get in next year.

I never viewed either of them as no-doubt-about-it Hall of Famers during their playing days, and they didn’t win any more games or get another hit after they retired.

But maybe that’s what’s best about the Hall of Fame voting. Everyone has an opinion. Most importantly, though, there’s snow on the ground this morning at the Jersey Shore and we’re still talking baseball. Pretty soon pitchers and catchers will report for spring training and we’ll start the cycle all over again.

And if you like Hall of Fame arguments, the big daddy of them all will arrive at this time next year. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa will all be first-timers on next year’s ballot, a referendum of baseball’s steroids era.  

Can’t wait for that one.