Hall of Fame Todd

Like a lot of little leaguers, I dreamed of playing major league baseball.  In my wildest dreams, I would not only play in the majors, but I would be the first Todd voted into the Hall of Fame.  Those dreams never went beyond high school, but I may have been fortunate to watch the first Todd to be voted into the Hall of Fame.

Todd Helton played the same number of seasons as the number he wore, 17, and in what has too often become a rarity, all for one team.  Like other “faces of the franchise”, who spent their whole big league careers playing for one team, Helton is the Rockies since he was on the field for 17 of their 20 years in existence. Like Tony Gywnn with the San Diego Padres, Cal Ripken Jr. with the Baltimore Orioles, and George Brett with the Kansas City Royals, Helton was a stalwart with the team through the many bad seasons and the few highlights of the 2007 World Series and 2009 playoffs.  Statistically he shares numbers with another city icon whose bronze statue stands outside his team’s ballpark.

When Helton collected his 2,500 hit this season he joined Hall of Famer Stan Musial as the only player with 2,500 hits, 550 doubles, 350 home runs and a lifetime average above .315.  Helton also distinguished himself on the defensive side of the ball, compiling a lifetime .996 fielding percentage by making only 79 errors in 20,579 chances and earning three gold gloves.  It was only fitting that in his final home game as my son and I watched he hit a home run and a double since those two marks defined him as a player.  Helton’s final lifetime offensive numbers, .316 batting average (52^nd in MLB history), 2519 hits (92^nd in MLB history), 592 doubles (16^th in MLB history), 369 home runs (74^th in MLB history), 1,406 runs batted in (72^nd in MLB history), .414 on-base percentage (20^th in MLB history) and a .539 slugging percentage (32^nd in MBL history).

The sweat had hardly dried from Helton’s uniform after his final game, before the debate about his Hall of Fame credentials began (no debate in my mind).  However, he is definitely the face on the Denver Sports Mt. Rushmore next to John Elway for the Broncos and Joe Sakic of the Avalanche with the Nuggets spot still available.  I may not become that Hall of Fame Todd I dreamed about being as a kid, but I did get the high five the real deal after his final home game.

Helton High Fives Fans After Final Home Game