Todd Helton (Hall of Fame, 2024)


Date of Birth: 8/20/1973
Birthplace: Knoxville, Tennessee
College: University of Tennessee

Todd Helton showed his batting prowess while still in high school, batting .655 in his senior year. The Colorado Rockies, recognizing his talent, drafted him in 1995.

Colorado Rockies

Helton spent only two years in the minor leagues, making his major league debut in the beginning of August, 1997. A year later, Helton was in the Rockies' starting lineup, playing at first base. Although Helton was surprisingly not named Rookie of the Year, he set several rookie records for 1998, including: highest batting average with .315, most home runs with 25, most RBIs with 97, most multi-hit games with 49, and highest slugging percentage with .530.

Helton was consistently a top hitter for the Rockies from his first full season in 1998, batting over .300 in 12 seasons. Helton, who was also an excellent fielder, won three Gold Glove awards (2001, 2002, 2004). His hitting skills earned him four Silver Slugger awards (2000-2003).

Helton followed his rookie year with another strong one in 1999. He finished the season with 185 hits, 39 doubles, 35 home runs, 113 RBIs, 77 strikeouts to 68 walks, and a .320 batting average in 159 games.

The 2000 season was Helton's best one. He won the NL batting title and he led the league in hits, doubles, RBIs, on-base-percentage, and OPS. He had career highs in hits (216), doubles (59), RBIs (147), batting average (.372), and OPS (1.162). He had 42 home runs, 61 strikeouts to 103 walks, and a .463 on-base-percentage in 160 games.

Helton continued to play well in 2001 and 2002. He had a career high 49 home runs in 2001, and he finished the season with 197 hits, 54 doubles, 104 strikeouts to 98 walks, and a .336 batting average. The following season he had 182 hits, 39 doubles, 30 home runs, 109 RBIs, 91 strikeouts to 99 walks, and a .329 batting average in 156 games.

Helton's batting average went up to .358 in 2003. He finished the season with 209 hits, 49 doubles, 33 home runs, and 117 RBIs in 160 games. The next year he had career highs in walks (127 to 72 strikeouts) and on-base-percentage (.469). He finished the 2004 season with 190 hits, 49 doubles, 32 home runs, 96 RBIs, and a .347 batting average in 154 games.

Helton led the NL in on-base-percentage in 2005 with .445. He finished the season with 163 hits, 45 doubles, 20 home runs, 79 RBIs, 80 strikeouts to 106 walks, and a .320 batting average in 144 games. In 2006, his batting average was lower (.302), but his other numbers were similar to the previous year: 165 hits, 40 doubles, 15 home runs, and 81 RBIs.

In 2007, Helton batted .320 with 178 hits, 42 doubles, 17 home runs, and 91 RBIs in 154 games. He missed half of the 2008 season, finishing the year with 79 hits and a .264 batting average in 83 games. He came back strong, however, the next year. He finished the 2009 season with 177 hits, 38 doubles, 86 RBIs, and a .325 batting average in 151 games.

Helton's playing time was reduced in his final four seasons. His only good season was 2011, when he batted .302 with 127 hits in 124 games. His batting average was just .256 in 118 games in 2010, .238 in 69 games in 2012, and .249 in 124 games in 2013.

Helton retired from major league baseball after the 2013 season.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL Batting Title in 2000
  • Hank Aaron Award
  • Gold Glove (3)
  • Silver Slugger Award (4)
  • Led NL in on-base-percentage (2 times)
  • Led NL in hits in 2000
  • Led NL in doubles in 2000
  • Led NL in RBIs in 2000
  • Led NL in putouts (3 times)
  • Led NL first baseman in assists (4 times)
  • Led NL first baseman in double plays (6 times)
  • Led NL first baseman in fielding percentage (6 times)

Career Statistics

Helton's statistics in 16 seasons in the major leagues include:

  • 12 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .372 in 2000
  • 8 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 49 in 2001
  • 11 seasons with over 35 doubles, with a high of 59 in 2000
  • 4 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with highs of 146 in 2001 and 147 in 2000

Career batting statistics for Helton include:

  • 2,247 games played
  • 2,519 hits
  • 369 home runs
  • 592 doubles
  • 1,406 RBIs
  • 1,175 strikeouts to 1,335 walks
  • .316 batting average
  • .414 on-base percentage
  • .953 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Helton at first base include:

  • 2,178 games played
  • 1,726 assists
  • 2,028 double plays
  • 18,889 putouts
  • 79 errors
  • .996 fielding percentage

Career postseason statistics for Helton include:

  • 15 games played
  • 57 at-bats
  • 2 doubles
  • 1 triple
  • 4 RBIs
  • 11 strikeouts to 8 walks
  • .211 batting average

Post Playing Career

Helton was hired as a special assistant to the Rockies general manager on April 9, 2022.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Todd Helton
ESPN Sports - Todd Helton