During his peak from 1999 to 2004,Helton met or topped these benchmarks each season:.320 batting average,39 doubles,30 home runs,107 runs scored,96 RBI,.577 slugging percentage and .981 on-base plus slugging. In 2000,he won the batting title with a .372 average and also led MLB with a .698 slugging percentage,59 doubles,and 147 RBI and the National League (NL) with 216 hits. Helton helped the Rockies win the NL pennant in 2007 before being swept in the World Series. He collected his 2,000th career hit in May 19,2009 and his 2,500th on September 1,2013. He retired at the end of that season,homering in his final game at Coors Field. Helton was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.
Amateur career
Helton attended Central High School in Knoxville,Tennessee and was a letterman in football and baseball.[2] In football,he posted 2,772 total yards as a quarterback. In baseball,as a senior,Helton had a .655 batting average and 12 home runs and was named the Regional Player of the Year. Baseball America named him an All-American his senior season. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for football and baseball in Tennessee.[2]
Helton was drafted in the second round (55th overall) by the San Diego Padres in the 1992 MLB draft.[3] He did not sign and chose to attend college.
University of Tennessee
Helton received an athletic scholarship from the University of Tennessee to play both football and baseball.[2] As a freshman and sophomore,he backed up Heath Shuler at quarterback. Entering his junior season in 1994,he was the backup to senior Jerry Colquitt and ahead of Peyton Manning,then a true freshman.[4][5] After tore kneeligaments in the season opener at UCLA,Helton took over as the starter. Three weeks later against Mississippi State,he suffered a knee injury and was replaced by Manning,who went on to break several records.[6] Helton appeared in 12 games during his career with the Volunteers football team,completing 41 of 75 passes for 484 yards,four touchdowns,and three interceptions.[7]
In baseball,Helton was awarded the Dick Howser Trophy as the national college baseball player of the year,following his junior baseball season in 1995.[8] During his career at Tennessee (1993–1995),he recorded a .370 batting average with 38 home runs and 238 RBI (both school records),while also pitching 193 innings,registering an ERA of 2.24,with 172 strikeouts and 23 saves.[9][10] In 1995,he set the Tennessee saves record with 11,while posting a 0.89 ERA. Helton also has the second-longest streak of consecutive scoreless innings in NCAA Division I,with 47 in 1994.[11][12]
During the 1997 season,Helton hit for a .280/.337/.484 slash line,with five home runs,in 35 games. When Rockies first basemanAndrés Galarraga went to the Atlanta Braves in 1998,Helton became the full-time starter at first base for Colorado during the 1998 season. The Rockies named Helton their club representative in 1998,the first time the team ever gave a rookie that role. He hit .315/.380/.530,with 25 home runs and 97 RBI,in 152 games. He led all rookies in average (.315),home runs (25),RBI (97),multi-hit games (49),total bases (281),slugging percentage (SLG) (.530) and extra base hits (63). He also led all National League (NL) rookies in runs (78),hits (167) and on-base percentage (.380). At the time,only Mike Piazza (35),David Justice (28),and Darryl Strawberry (26) had hit more home runs as an NL rookie since 1972,and only Piazza had more RBI (112). Helton finished second to Kerry Wood of the Chicago Cubs in the voting for NL Rookie of the Year. The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame named Helton its 1998 Professional Athlete of the Year.[2]
In 1999,Helton hit .320/.395/.587.[18] He slugged 35 home runs and 113 RBI while drawing 68 walks. On June 19,in a 10–2 home win over the Florida Marlins,Helton hit for the cycle.[2][19] He fell short of hitting a second cycle on four occasions during the 1999 season,which would have made him only the second player since 1900 (Babe Herman was the first to do so in 1931) to hit two cycles in one season.[2]
2000–2006:Mid-career
Helton fielding with the Rockies,c.2005
Helton enjoyed arguably his best season in 2000,leading the major leagues in batting average (.372),RBI (147),doubles (59),total bases (405),extra base hits (103),slugging percentage (.698) and OPS (1.162).[2][20] He led the NL in hits (216) and on-base percentage (.463). Helton hit a league-leading home batting average of .391 and was third in the NL in road batting average (.353). Helton's MLB-leading 103 extra base hits tied for the fourth most in MLB history and the second most in NL history. His league-leading numbers in on-base percentage,slugging percentage and batting average gave him the "percentage triple crown." Helton became the second Rockies player,after Larry Walker in 1999,to accomplish that feat. Helton and Walker made the Rockies the first team in MLB history to record percentage triple crowns in consecutive seasons with different players. Helton became only the fourth player in NL history to lead the league in both batting average and RBI. He became the first player in NL history and the fifth player in MLB history (Babe Ruth,Lou Gehrig,Jimmie Foxx and Hank Greenberg are the others) to have at least 200 hits,40 home runs,100 RBI,100 runs,100 extra base hits,and 100 walks in one season.[2]
Monetizing his success,Helton signed a nine-year,$141.5 million contract in April 2001 that took effect in 2003.[23]That season,Helton hit a career-high 49 home runs (22 of them occurred away from hitter-friendly Coors Field). He tied Walker for the most home runs ever by a Rockies player in one season. Additionally,Helton had a .336/.432/.685 slash line.[2] He had 105 extra base hits,making him the first player in MLB history to have at least 100 total extra base hits in back-to-back seasons.[2] Furthermore,Helton attained 402 total bases,making him only the fourth player in MLB history to do so in consecutive seasons (Chuck Klein,Gehrig and Foxx are the others).[2] Helton appeared in his second consecutive All-Star Game in 2001 —his first as a starter.[2] He won his first Gold Glove at first base and was once again a top candidate for MVP,but was beaten in balloting by Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds.[24]
In 2002,Helton had a .329 batting average,30 home runs,109 RBI,98 walks,107 runs,.577 SLG and 319 total bases. He became the first player in Rockies history to score at least 100 runs in four consecutive seasons. He was named NL Player of the Month for May,when he hit .347 with six doubles,one triple,10 home runs and 28 RBI. Helton was named to his third consecutive All-Star Game —his second straight as a starter. He also received his second consecutive Gold Glove.[2]
Helton swinging at a pitch during a game against the Seattle Mariners in 2006.
2003 saw Helton involved in the closest NL batting race in history,as he hit .35849,while St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols finished first with a .35871 batting average. Helton also had 33 home runs,117 RBI,135 runs,49 doubles and five triples. He won his fourth Player of the Month honor for April,when he hit .337 with six home runs,27 RBI,28 runs,11 doubles and 24 walks.[2] He also appeared in his fourth consecutive All-Star Game.[25]
During the 2004 season,Helton again finished second in the NL batting race,as he hit .347,while San Francisco Giantsleft fielderBarry Bonds hit .362. Helton also had 32 home runs and 96 RBI on the season. He became the first player in MLB history to hit at least .315 with 25 home runs and 95 RBI in each of his first seven full seasons in the majors. He became only the third player in MLB history to accomplish that feat during any seven-year stretch in a career (Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth are the others). He set a franchise record by hitting at least 30 home runs in six consecutive seasons. Helton was named to his team-record fifth consecutive All-Star Game and won his third Gold Glove during the season.[2]
In 2005,Helton spent time on the disabled list (July 26 –August 9) for the first time in his career with a strained left calf muscle.[2] He hit .320 with 20 home runs,79 RBI,92 runs,and 45 doubles for the season. He was under 1.000 in OPS (finished with .979 OPS) for the first time since 1999.[18] Helton also was not named to the NL All-Star team for the first time since 1999. However,he join Gehrig and Bill Terry as the only first basemen in MLB history to have at least a .315 batting average in eight consecutive seasons.[2] Also in 2005,St. Louis Cardinals radio broadcasterWayne Hagin claimed manager Don Baylor said that Helton had "tried the juice" in the 1990s,implying steroid use. Helton vehemently denied the allegation and considered legal action against Hagin. Hagin later apologized clarifying his comments saying he was "referring to supplements,creatine,not steroids" when he said "juiced". Baylor said of his conversation with Hagin,"We discussed creatine and that was the end of the conversation. Steroid use was never even a question with me in regards to Todd Helton. [Hagin] has his facts wrong."[26]
The following season,Helton had to spend time on the disabled list again,this time from April 20 to May 4,2006,as he was diagnosed with acute terminal ileitis.[2] He hit .302 with 15 home runs,81 RBI,40 doubles,91 walks,and a .404 on-base percentage for the season.[2] He ended the season below .900 in OPS (with a .880 OPS) for the first time since entering the league in 1997 when he only played 35 games that year.[18] Helton finished third on the team in runs (94),hits (165),doubles (40),total bases (260),and multi-hit games (42).[2]
2007–2013
Helton's power and RBI production stayed relatively level to his previous year's stats during the 2007 season,as he managed 17 home runs and 91 RBI. Despite these numbers being below his career averages,Helton kept up his string of seven consecutive seasons with an on-base percentage higher than .400,nine consecutive seasons with a batting average above .300,and had also been walked more times than he had struck out (a feat he had accomplished in seven of his first ten full seasons).[18] Helton recorded his 1,000th career hit at Coors Field on June 20,in a 6–1 home win over the New York Yankees,becoming only the fifth active player to have 1,000 career hits in one ballpark.[27] On September 9,in 4–2 home victory over the San Diego Padres,Helton hit his 35th double of the season. This made him the only player in MLB history to have hit 35 or more doubles in at least 10 consecutive seasons (1998–2007).[28][29] Helton hit his 300th career home run on September 16,in a 13–0 home win over the Florida Marlins.[30][31] He became the first player to hit 300 home runs for the Rockies.[32]
Helton made what was arguably the most pivotal play of the Rockies' 2007 season in the second game of a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 18. In the bottom of the ninth inning,with two outs and two strikes,Helton hit an emotional two-run walk-off home run off Dodgers closerTakashi Saito.[33] The home run kept the Rockies alive in the bid to win the wild card or NL West title. The Rockies eventually clinched the NL wild card,in a 9–8 extra innings victory over the Padres in a wild card tie-breaker game,allowing Helton to appear in the playoffs for the first time in his career.[34] Colorado went on to sweep the Philadelphia Phillies in three games of the NL Division Series.[35] Helton hit a triple in the first pitch of his first career playoff at-bat in the opening game against the Phillies in Philadelphia.[36] The Rockies also swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in four games of the NL Championship Series,sending the Rockies on their first trip to the World Series in franchise history.[37][38] The Rockies went on to lose the World Series to the Boston Red Sox in a four-game sweep.[39]
Helton at bat during a game against the San Diego Padres in 2009.
In August 2008,Helton was diagnosed with a degenerative back condition,putting his health and ability to continue play in question. On May 19,2009,Helton got his 2,000th hit,a single,as part of an 8–1 road loss to the Atlanta Braves.[40] On July 22,Helton hit his 500th career double in a 4–3 home victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.[41] He became the 50th player in MLB history to hit 500 career doubles and the fastest to do since 1954.[42] Helton also joined Babe Ruth,Stan Musial,Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams as the only players in MLB history to have at least 500 doubles,320 home runs and a .325 batting average for a career.[41]
On March 11,2010,Helton signed a two-year,$9.9 million contract extension through the 2013 season.[43] Helton's degenerative back condition sent him back to the disabled list in July.[44] He returned from the DL in August and hit .256 with 8 home runs and 37 RBI for the season. After the season,Helton said he would return to the Rockies in 2011,following rumors of a possible retirement.[45] On February 15,2011,Helton announced his intention to play baseball for three more years,preferably for the Rockies. On June 30 he played his 2,000th career game. On April 14,2012,Helton hit a 2-run walk-off home run,the seventh of his career.[46] On July 13,Helton was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right hip. In 63 games,he was batting .235.[47] After returning from the DL,Helton played only 6 games before announcing that he would have season-ending hip surgery in order to prepare for the 2013 season.[48] Helton was healthier in 2013,playing in 124 games while hitting 15 home runs with 61 RBIs.[49]
On September 14,2013,Helton announced that he would be retiring at the conclusion of the 2013 season.[50] On September 25,before his last game at Coors Field,Helton was honored by the Rockies in a pre-game ceremony. In the game,Helton hit a home run and drove in three runs versus the Boston Red Sox.[51]
On August 17,2014,the Rockies retired Helton's number 17 before a game at Coors Field. He was the first Rockies player to have his number retired in the franchise's history.[52]
NL Doubles leader (2000, Helton hit 59 doubles during the season, which tied Chuck Klein for the third-highest single-season doubles total in NL history.)
Colorado Rockies career leader in games played (2,247), at bats (7,962), runs (1,401), hits (2,519), total bases (4,292), doubles (592), home runs (369), RBI (1,406), walks (1,335), and intentional walks (185).
Colorado Rockies retired Helton's number 17 on August 17, 2014.[53]
Helton first appeared on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2019, when he received 16.5% of the vote, well short of the 75% required for election, but above the 5% minimum required to remain on the ballot.
On January 23, 2024, Helton was elected to the Hall of Fame, receiving 79.7% of the vote. He is the Rockies player, after Larry Walker, to be elected. Helton was formally inducted on July 21.[54]
In 2013, Helton was arrested in Colorado for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol.[61] He was fined $400, received a year of probation, and was ordered to perform 24 hours of community service.[62] In 2019, Helton was cited for another DUI after crashing his car in Tennessee. He subsequently entered a treatment program.[63] He was sentenced to two days in jail in 2020 after pleading guilty to the DUI.[64]
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