Todd Helton
| Todd Helton | |
|---|---|
Helton with the Colorado Rockies in 2013 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: August 20, 1973 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 2, 1997, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 2013, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .316 |
| Hits | 2,519 |
| Home runs | 369 |
| Runs batted in | 1,406 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
| Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2024 |
| Vote | 79.7% (sixth ballot) |
Todd Lynn Helton (born August 20, 1973) is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Colorado Rockies. A five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and three-time Gold Glove Award winner, Helton holds the Rockies' club records for hits (2,519), home runs (369), doubles (592), walks (1,335), runs scored (1,401), runs batted in (RBIs, with 1,406), games played (2,247), and total bases (4,292), among others.
Helton grew up in Tennessee and played college baseball and football for the Tennessee Volunteers. The Rockies drafted him in the first round of the 1995 MLB draft, and he debuted in the majors in 1997.
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.