Just the other day, we watched as the 2024 Hall of Fame Class was announced. One player who will see his name end up in Cooperstown is Todd Helton, who became the second Colorado Rockies player to ever make the Hall of Fame. Helton joins Larry Walker as the only other Rockies member in Cooperstown. Players need 75 percent of the votes to be inducted. It was Helton’s sixth year on the ballot, and he received nearly 80 percent of the vote. Colorado’s longtime first baseman played 17 seasons with the organization. While winning numerous accolades, Helton was also a big factor in why the Rockies made their first World Series appearance in 2007. His character and his play will be remembered by Rockies fans for years to come.
Todd Helton gets the call 📞 pic.twitter.com/wf9N9TSMXx
— Mile High Sports (@MileHighSports) January 23, 2024
Todd Helton’s Hall of Fame Career
Draft and Debut
Todd Helton was the eighth overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft. He spent the next two years in Double and Triple-A before being called up to the majors. Helton made his big league debut on August 2nd, 1997. During a 6-5 loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the future five-time All-Star started in left field and went 2-for-3 at the plate. He flied out in his first at-bat, then got his first Major League hit off of Francisco Córdova. Later, he would hit his first career home run off Marc Wilkins. Through 35 games played in 1997, Helton had five home runs and 11 runs batted in.
1998: Full-Time Starter
After first baseman Andrés Galarraga left for the Atlanta Braves during the 1997 offseason, Helton became the full-time starter at first base for the Rockies. He would end up leading all National League rookies in runs, hits, and on-base percentage. At the time, only three players had more home runs than Helton did during their rookie season. He was second at the time in most runs batted in by a rookie; only Mike Piazza had more during his rookie season. The future five-time All-Star finished his 1998 rookie season with 167 hits, 25 home runs, and 97 runs batted in. He would finish second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting behind Kerry Wood.
Helton Hits for the Cycle, First All-Star Appearance
On June 19th, 1999, Todd Helton hit for the cycle during a 10-2 win against the Florida Marlins. He would fall just short of hitting the cycle on four different occasions. If Helton had hit for two cycles during one season, he would have become the first player to do so since Babe Herman in 1931.
Helton arguably had his best season in 2000. He led the majors in numerous statistical categories which include batting average, runs batted in, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, slugging, and OPS. Todd’s leading numbers in batting average, slugging, and on-base percentage would earn him the percentage triple-crown. He became the second Rockies player since Larry Walker (who did it the year before) to accomplish this feat. Colorado became the first team in MLB history to record consecutive percentage triple-crown seasons with multiple players.
Helton would earn his first All-Star nod in 2000. Also, he became the fourth player ever in the National League to lead in both batting average and runs batted in. Playing in 160 games, Helton recorded 216 hits, 42 home runs, and 147 runs batted in with a .372 batting average. During the 2000 season, Todd won his first Silver Slugger Award, won the second annual Hank Aaron Award, and finished fifth in the voting for the National League MVP Award.
Todd Helton’s Career High in Homers and First Gold Glove
The next season, Helton belted 49 home runs, which ties Larry Walker for the most homers by a Colorado Rockie. It was also his career high in homers. He also obtained 402 total bases in 2001, becoming the fourth player in MLB history to do so. Todd went on to make his second All-Star appearance, and his first as a starter. Although he had another great season which saw him win his first Gold Glove Award, and his second Silver Slugger Award. Helton’s play was outshined by Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, as he finished third in the NL’s MVP voting. For all his success, Helton was awarded a nine-year, $141 million contract that went into effect in 2003. In 2002, we would see Helton make his third All-Star game, win his second Gold Glove Award, and his third straight Silver Slugger Award.
Todd Helton’s Mid-Career
The four-time Silver Slugger was involved in the closest National League batting race in history during the 2003 season. Helton had a .35849 average. Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols finished on top with a .35871 batting average. Then, during the 2004 season, Helton made history. He became the third player in MLB history next to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig to record at least 25 home runs, 95 runs batted in, and a .315 batting average. He set a team record when he made his fifth straight All-Star Game.
The same year, Helton won his third Gold Glove Award. In the following season, Todd spent time on the disabled list for the first time in his career. He dealt with a strained left calf muscle but still was able to hit 20 home runs and 46 doubles during the 2005 season. After dealing with acute terminal ileitis, Helton finished the 2006 season below a .900 on-base plus slugging percentage. That was his first time doing this since coming into the league in 1997.
2007: World Series Appearance
During the 2007 regular season, Helton became the only player in MLB history to record 35 or more doubles for ten consecutive seasons. On September 16th, 2007, he hit his 300th career home run during a 13-0 win over the Florida Marlins. The four-time Silver Slugger became the first player in Rockies history to hit 300 career home runs. Two days later, during the second game of a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Helton hit a two-run walk-off home run with two strikes and two outs against Takashi Saito. This home run kept the Rockies in the race for the NL West title or a Wild Card spot. Colorado would face the San Diego Padres in a Wild Card tie-breaker game, which the Rockies won 9-8 in extra innings.
This would be Todd Helton’s first time appearing in the MLB postseason. The Colorado Rockies went on to sweep the Philadelphia Phillies in three games during the National League Division Series. Then, the Rockies swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in four games in the National League Championship Series. Colorado would advance to their first franchise appearance in the World Series. The Rockies’ magic unfortunately ended. In four games, they were swept by the Boston Red Sox during the 2007 World Series.
Nearing the End: Fighting the DL, While Making History
Helton was diagnosed with a degenerative back condition in August 2008, which put his health and ability to play in jeopardy. On May 19th, 2009, he recorded his 2,000 career hit, a single, during an 8-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves. A month later, he would record his 500th double, becoming the 50th player in MLB history to accomplish this feat. Helton became the fastest player to reach 500 doubles since 1954.
Late in his career, Helton would deal with constant trips to the disabled list. This was mostly due to his degenerative back condition, but he also had season-ending hip surgery in 2013. During that 2013 season, Helton’s final MLB season, he finished with 15 home runs and 61 runs batted in through 124 games. On September 14th, 2013, Todd announced he would be retiring at season’s end. During his last home game at Coors Field, Helton hit a homer and drove in three runs against the team he saw back in the 2007 World Series. A year later on August 17th, 2014, perhaps the best Rockies player in franchise history had his number 17 retired. He became the first player in franchise history to have their number retired.
“It was probably the fastest I ever got around the bases… well maybe not, I was pretty slow.” 😂
Todd Helton takes #MLBTonight through his iconic home run in the Hall of Famer’s last career game. pic.twitter.com/xBhV5N4Yp8
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 27, 2024
Todd Helton the Hall of Famer
In 2019, Helton made his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot. He only received 16 percent of the vote, way below the required 75 percent. However, it was higher than the minimum of five percent, which kept his name on the list. Throughout the years his numbers would slowly rise. This past Tuesday, Todd Helton was announced into the Hall of Fame. This summer, he will join Larry Walker as the only Rockies in Cooperstown.
Photo Credit: “Todd Helton” by andrewmalone is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
