Todd Helton

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 National League Rookie of the Year.

Todd Lynn Helton (born August 20, 1973) is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played his entire 17-year career for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB).

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 was drafted in the 2nd round (55th overall) by the San Diego Padres during the 1992 MLB draft.

He did not sign and chose to attend college.

Helton received an athletic scholarship from the University of Tennessee to play both football and baseball.

He was named a Gatorade Player of the Year for football and baseball in Tennessee.

As a freshman and sophomore, he backed up Heath Shuler at quarterback.

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.

Entering his junior season in 1994, he was the back-up to senior Jerry Colquitt and ahead of Peyton Manning (then a true freshman).

After Colquitt tore knee ligaments 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.

Helton appeared in 12 games during his career with the Vols football team, completing 41 of 75 passes for 484 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Helton spent the summer of 1994 playing for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.

In baseball, Helton was awarded the Dick Howser Trophy as National Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year, following his junior baseball season in 1995.

In 1995, he set the Tennessee saves record with 11, while posting a 0.89 ERA.

Helton also has the NCAA Division I record for most consecutive scoreless innings, at 47.

Helton was the eighth overall pick of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft, selected in the first round by the Colorado Rockies, and signed on August 1, 1995.

He spent the next two years in the minor leagues, playing for the class-A Asheville Tourists, AA New Haven Ravens, and AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox before moving up to the majors.

Helton made his major-league debut in 1997 on August 2, a 6–5 road loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He started in left field, flied out in his first at-bat, singled in his next time up off Francisco Córdova, and hit a solo home run off Marc Wilkins.

During the 1997 season, Helton hit .280/.337/.484 (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage), with five home runs, in 35 games played.

When Rockies first baseman Andrés 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 played.

Helton led all major-league rookies in average (.315), home runs (25), RBI (97), multi-hit games (49), total bases (281), slugging percentage (.530) and extra base hits (63).

He also led all National League rookies in runs (78), hits (167) and on-base percentage (.380).

The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame named Helton its 1998 Professional Athlete of the Year.

Each season from 1999 to 2004, Helton met or exceeded all of the following totals: .320 batting average, 39 doubles, 30 home runs, 107 runs scored, 96 RBI, .577 slugging percentage and .981 on-base plus slugging.

In 1999, Helton had a .320 batting average, .395 on-base percentage and .587 slugging percentage.

He also hit 35 home runs and 113 RBI, while drawing 68 walks.

On June 19, 1999, in a 10–2 Rockies home win over the Florida Marlins, Helton hit for the cycle.

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 with 216 hits.

Helton collected his 2,000th career hit against the Atlanta Braves on May 19, 2009, and his 2,500th against the Cincinnati Reds on September 1, 2013.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Helton attended Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was a letterman in football and baseball.

In football, he posted 2,772 total yards as quarterback.

In baseball, as a senior, Helton posted a .655 batting average and 12 home runs and was named the Regional Player of the Year.

Baseball America also bestowed on him All-American honors for his senior season.