Todd Helton
Full Name: Todd Lynn Helton
Born: August 20,1973
Place: Knoxville, Tennessee
Position: 1B
Height: 6-2 Weight: 206
Bats: L Throws: L
High School: Knoxville Central (TN) College: University of Tennessee
Drafted: Selected by the San Diego Padres in the 2nd round (55th overall) of the 1992 amateur entry draft. (June-Reg phase)....Selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 1st round (8th overall) of the 1995 amateur entry draft. (June-Reg phase)
Born: August 20,1973
Place: Knoxville, Tennessee
Position: 1B
Height: 6-2 Weight: 206
Bats: L Throws: L
High School: Knoxville Central (TN) College: University of Tennessee
Drafted: Selected by the San Diego Padres in the 2nd round (55th overall) of the 1992 amateur entry draft. (June-Reg phase)....Selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 1st round (8th overall) of the 1995 amateur entry draft. (June-Reg phase)
Everyone brings up 'that' contract when talking about Todd Helton and rightfully so, however, he did some things in 2006 that he isn't getting any credit for. After laying in a hospital bed for about a week, he came back and played through a pretty serious illness. Now that's some serious toughness and don't think that doesn't have an affect inside the clubhouse. Players at the major league level aren't inclined to give too many others respect but when they see another who is playing his guts out when he could just be collecting a mega-paycheck every week, then it has to leave an impression. I believe that impression will carry over into the 2007 season as a huge positive.
Let's face it.. the Rockies are stuck with Helton's contract, so you might as well work with it. If he can get back to being healthy again, then there's no reason why he couldn't produce some more big years. Remember, he is only 33 years old. Actually, the Rockies need him to get healthy in the worst way. He is a power left-handed bat and other than a still developing Brad Hawpe, the lineup doesn't have one. Clint Hurdle placed him in the 5th spot in 2006 and he'll be there again in 2007. There is not very many batters in the National League with Helton's kind of past record hitting 5th... that's for sure.
YEAR G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
1997 35 93 13 26 2 1 5 11 45 8 11 0 1 .337 .484 .280
1998 152 530 78 167 37 1 25 97 281 53 54 3 3 .380 .530 .315
1999 159 578 114 185 39 5 35 113 339 68 77 7 6 .395 .587 .320
2000 160 580 138 216 59 2 42 147 405 103 61 5 3 .463 .698 .372
2001 159 587 132 197 54 2 49 146 402 98 104 7 5 .432 .685 .336
2002 156 553 107 182 39 4 30 109 319 99 91 5 1 .429 .577 .329
2003 160 583 135 209 49 5 33 117 367 111 72 0 4 .458 .630 .358
2004 154 547 115 190 49 2 32 96 339 127 72 3 0 .469 .620 .347
2005 144 509 92 163 45 2 20 79 272 106 80 3 0 .445 .534 .320
2006 145 546 94 165 40 5 15 81 260 91 64 3 2 .404 .476 .302
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Career 1424 5106 1018 1700 413 29 286 996 3029 864 686 36 25 .430 .593 .333
2006 Salary $17,018,182. Sixth year of an 11-year contract with a prorated buyout worth $418,182 on an option for 2012. Incentives: All-Star, $25,000; National League Most Valuable Player, $150,000; MVP voting/second or third, $75,000; Hank Aaron Award, $150,000; Gold Glove, $25,000; Silver Slugger, $50,000; division series MVP, $50,000; League Championship Series MVP, $75,000; World Series MVP, $100,000.
--------------------
2006
So, lets chat a little about Todd Helton. I don't have to go over his abilities here or even tell you how great a leader he is because you all know the scoop. And I know we were all worried when he was struggling in June, 2005 with a .250 batting average and stuck on eight or so homers, but he eased those fears with a strong second half in which his overall numbers were acceptable. What everyone wants to know is how does he fit into this rebuilding effort now being developed by the Rockies? When contemplating this question, we are then forced to look at that contract.
And, oh what a contract it is.
It jumps up to $16.6 million this year and stays there until 2011, at which time it jumps up again to $19.9 mill. There is then a buyout in 2012. There is also a player option to opt out of the contract in 2007, however, he would be an idiot to excercise it. But really, what does this have to do with anything? So what if he takes up a quarter of the payroll? In general terms, I don't really care. In practical terms, well you have to think about the team as a whole and having one member making this huge amount while the other 24 players are making a much lesser amount, then you are ripe for some chemistry problems in the clubhouse.
There are some fixes available to the management team that are easy to implement. How much of the behind the scenes discussions about these fixes we will ever be privy to will never be known but I have written in Rox Head.com about some of them before. The most obvious fix, of course, is to trade him. They could also defer a part of the remaining contract like Larry Walker did or even offer him a portion of the team ownership much like the Broncos did with John Elway and the Pittsburgh Penguins did with Mario Lemieux.
The most important thing to keep in mind with respect to the Helton situation is to take into account his overall value to the team as they move from the current rebuilding phase into the contending phase we all expect to happen in a few years time. Will the team be better off with him or without him? I, for one, contend that he should be here throughout his entire career.
Let's face it.. the Rockies are stuck with Helton's contract, so you might as well work with it. If he can get back to being healthy again, then there's no reason why he couldn't produce some more big years. Remember, he is only 33 years old. Actually, the Rockies need him to get healthy in the worst way. He is a power left-handed bat and other than a still developing Brad Hawpe, the lineup doesn't have one. Clint Hurdle placed him in the 5th spot in 2006 and he'll be there again in 2007. There is not very many batters in the National League with Helton's kind of past record hitting 5th... that's for sure.
YEAR G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
1997 35 93 13 26 2 1 5 11 45 8 11 0 1 .337 .484 .280
1998 152 530 78 167 37 1 25 97 281 53 54 3 3 .380 .530 .315
1999 159 578 114 185 39 5 35 113 339 68 77 7 6 .395 .587 .320
2000 160 580 138 216 59 2 42 147 405 103 61 5 3 .463 .698 .372
2001 159 587 132 197 54 2 49 146 402 98 104 7 5 .432 .685 .336
2002 156 553 107 182 39 4 30 109 319 99 91 5 1 .429 .577 .329
2003 160 583 135 209 49 5 33 117 367 111 72 0 4 .458 .630 .358
2004 154 547 115 190 49 2 32 96 339 127 72 3 0 .469 .620 .347
2005 144 509 92 163 45 2 20 79 272 106 80 3 0 .445 .534 .320
2006 145 546 94 165 40 5 15 81 260 91 64 3 2 .404 .476 .302
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Career 1424 5106 1018 1700 413 29 286 996 3029 864 686 36 25 .430 .593 .333
2006 Salary $17,018,182. Sixth year of an 11-year contract with a prorated buyout worth $418,182 on an option for 2012. Incentives: All-Star, $25,000; National League Most Valuable Player, $150,000; MVP voting/second or third, $75,000; Hank Aaron Award, $150,000; Gold Glove, $25,000; Silver Slugger, $50,000; division series MVP, $50,000; League Championship Series MVP, $75,000; World Series MVP, $100,000.
--------------------
2006
So, lets chat a little about Todd Helton. I don't have to go over his abilities here or even tell you how great a leader he is because you all know the scoop. And I know we were all worried when he was struggling in June, 2005 with a .250 batting average and stuck on eight or so homers, but he eased those fears with a strong second half in which his overall numbers were acceptable. What everyone wants to know is how does he fit into this rebuilding effort now being developed by the Rockies? When contemplating this question, we are then forced to look at that contract.
And, oh what a contract it is.
It jumps up to $16.6 million this year and stays there until 2011, at which time it jumps up again to $19.9 mill. There is then a buyout in 2012. There is also a player option to opt out of the contract in 2007, however, he would be an idiot to excercise it. But really, what does this have to do with anything? So what if he takes up a quarter of the payroll? In general terms, I don't really care. In practical terms, well you have to think about the team as a whole and having one member making this huge amount while the other 24 players are making a much lesser amount, then you are ripe for some chemistry problems in the clubhouse.
There are some fixes available to the management team that are easy to implement. How much of the behind the scenes discussions about these fixes we will ever be privy to will never be known but I have written in Rox Head.com about some of them before. The most obvious fix, of course, is to trade him. They could also defer a part of the remaining contract like Larry Walker did or even offer him a portion of the team ownership much like the Broncos did with John Elway and the Pittsburgh Penguins did with Mario Lemieux.
The most important thing to keep in mind with respect to the Helton situation is to take into account his overall value to the team as they move from the current rebuilding phase into the contending phase we all expect to happen in a few years time. Will the team be better off with him or without him? I, for one, contend that he should be here throughout his entire career.
Todd Helton Bio's:
More Bio's:
In the News
12/7/06.. addition.. Rocky
Helton has begun a heavy-duty conditioning program, although unlike the past two offseasons, he has declined to work out at Coors Field. He said with the daily winter workouts the past two years, he felt that special luster of a big league ballpark diminished.
"It became a part of the routine," he said of going to Coors Field. "Every spring, you want to walk into the clubhouse and have that special feeling, that the season is about to begin and there's an excitement, not that it's the same place you go every day of the year. Hopefully, mentally this will help."
Most of all, though, Helton wants to physically be ready to play. He laughs at the idea that at his age, he is suddenly battling to gain weight. "I can't even get fat when I want to," he said.
More than fat, he wants the bulk that creates "strength and explosiveness."
11/15/06.. info
Todd Helton decided against opting out of his contract, a deadline that was passed on Wednesday -- which would involve walking away from $73.5 million from 2008-11 in order to re-enter free-agency.
10/6/06.. addition.. MLB.com
"I'm going to be honest," Helton said. "When I came back, I thought I was going to be fine. You just can't lay around in a hospital bed for a week on drugs and then get back up the next week and start back in on a big-league season. That's just me being stupid. Maybe I could do it when I was 21.
"I haven't been consistently putting good swings on balls," Helton said. "You'd think the longer you've been in the big leagues, the easier it will be. It just hasn't been that way for me. Maybe I'll take some rest this offseason, then get back on track. I'll take care of it."
9/27/06.. addition.. MLB.com
Manager Clint Hurdle said the Rockies will enter 2007 with a plan that will mean first baseman Todd Helton will rest more often. Helton made his 141st appearance on Wednesday. Taking into account the 14 games he missed with a serious stomach ailment in late April and early May, Helton has played all but two games for which he has been active. "We need to draw up some type of structure and just stay with it, not play it day by day, 'How you feel?' and end up with 152 games," Hurdle said. "I really believe that [with] a healthy Todd back, we can be smart with his playing time, we can increase his playing time to some degree that way."
At 32 and coming off a recent history of back problems, a calf injury last season and the stomach ailment this season, and with the park playing bigger, Hurdle said expecting the 40-plus homer, 140-RBI season from Helton is "a stretch," but 30 homers and 110 RBIs are still possible.
8/29/06.. addition.. SI.com
NL's 25 biggest busts
4. Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies. "If he was doing anything, the Rockies would be in first place,'' one NL executive said. Maybe Helton needs the helium put back into the air at Coors.
8/20/06.. addition.. MLB.com
The lack of a game-changing bat brings the conversation to Sunday's birthday boy. With Helton hitting 30 or more homers as he did from 1999 to 2004, he, Matt Holliday (22 homers) and Garrett Atkins (21) would make a formidable middle of the lineup. But that's not happening."I'm definitely battling," said Helton, who went 2-for-12 in the series and has just 12 homers this season. "I'm doing the best I can with what I've got."
But a key question is whether Helton, guaranteed $90.1 million from 2007 until his contract ends in 2011, can return to that form and, as Hurdle said, "make everybody's load a little lighter."
"That's the idea," Helton said. "I'm going to hit. I have had to go through certain things trying to make up for a lack of strength."
7/28/06.. addition.. MLB.com
"I'm definitely getting pitches to hit," Helton said. "I'm just not coming through. It's tough right now when we're not scoring any runs. I'm a major part of that. There are only two ways you can go, up or down. I plan on going up."
5/10/06.. addition.. MLB.com
"I feel good with my weight," Helton said. "I feel good defensively. Offensively, it's tough. I feel good power-wise, I feel strong when I'm hitting in the cage and in batting practice. I'm just not carrying it over into the games. I can do that. It's just slowing it down and seeing the ball. I'm not real worried."
1/23/06... addition.. MLB.com
Colorado standout first baseman Todd Helton underwent what the club classified as "minor" surgery on his right (non-throwing) elbow on Monday morning.
"This was a minor procedure that we expect will sideline Todd for a couple of weeks," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said in the club's official statement. "We anticipate him being completely recovered for the start of Spring Training."
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12/15/05.. addition.. Baseball Weekly
4. Todd Helton, Rockies: Helton is annually among the top offensive players in the majors, but he's always discounted for his home-road splits - a valid criticism given how much the conditions at Coors Field aid offense. This season, Helton's overall numbers - splits not withstanding - were good, but not up to his usual standard. He hit "only" .320 and had 20 home runs, thanks to a below-average April and May where he hit just .267 and .253, respectively. Helton's .445 on-base percentage was lower than those during his best seasons, but it was still good enough to lead the NL. Also, keep in mind that Helton also went on the DL for the first time in his career with a calf muscle injury. He missed 18 games, the most in his career since playing in only 35 in his rookie season in 1997.
Addition..Info...
Helton's contract allows him to opt for free agency after 2007 (a decision he'd have to make by Nov. 15, 2006), but that would involve walking away from $68.9 million in base salary.
Helton has begun a heavy-duty conditioning program, although unlike the past two offseasons, he has declined to work out at Coors Field. He said with the daily winter workouts the past two years, he felt that special luster of a big league ballpark diminished.
"It became a part of the routine," he said of going to Coors Field. "Every spring, you want to walk into the clubhouse and have that special feeling, that the season is about to begin and there's an excitement, not that it's the same place you go every day of the year. Hopefully, mentally this will help."
Most of all, though, Helton wants to physically be ready to play. He laughs at the idea that at his age, he is suddenly battling to gain weight. "I can't even get fat when I want to," he said.
More than fat, he wants the bulk that creates "strength and explosiveness."
11/15/06.. info
Todd Helton decided against opting out of his contract, a deadline that was passed on Wednesday -- which would involve walking away from $73.5 million from 2008-11 in order to re-enter free-agency.
10/6/06.. addition.. MLB.com
"I'm going to be honest," Helton said. "When I came back, I thought I was going to be fine. You just can't lay around in a hospital bed for a week on drugs and then get back up the next week and start back in on a big-league season. That's just me being stupid. Maybe I could do it when I was 21.
"I haven't been consistently putting good swings on balls," Helton said. "You'd think the longer you've been in the big leagues, the easier it will be. It just hasn't been that way for me. Maybe I'll take some rest this offseason, then get back on track. I'll take care of it."
9/27/06.. addition.. MLB.com
Manager Clint Hurdle said the Rockies will enter 2007 with a plan that will mean first baseman Todd Helton will rest more often. Helton made his 141st appearance on Wednesday. Taking into account the 14 games he missed with a serious stomach ailment in late April and early May, Helton has played all but two games for which he has been active. "We need to draw up some type of structure and just stay with it, not play it day by day, 'How you feel?' and end up with 152 games," Hurdle said. "I really believe that [with] a healthy Todd back, we can be smart with his playing time, we can increase his playing time to some degree that way."
At 32 and coming off a recent history of back problems, a calf injury last season and the stomach ailment this season, and with the park playing bigger, Hurdle said expecting the 40-plus homer, 140-RBI season from Helton is "a stretch," but 30 homers and 110 RBIs are still possible.
8/29/06.. addition.. SI.com
NL's 25 biggest busts
4. Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies. "If he was doing anything, the Rockies would be in first place,'' one NL executive said. Maybe Helton needs the helium put back into the air at Coors.
8/20/06.. addition.. MLB.com
The lack of a game-changing bat brings the conversation to Sunday's birthday boy. With Helton hitting 30 or more homers as he did from 1999 to 2004, he, Matt Holliday (22 homers) and Garrett Atkins (21) would make a formidable middle of the lineup. But that's not happening."I'm definitely battling," said Helton, who went 2-for-12 in the series and has just 12 homers this season. "I'm doing the best I can with what I've got."
But a key question is whether Helton, guaranteed $90.1 million from 2007 until his contract ends in 2011, can return to that form and, as Hurdle said, "make everybody's load a little lighter."
"That's the idea," Helton said. "I'm going to hit. I have had to go through certain things trying to make up for a lack of strength."
7/28/06.. addition.. MLB.com
"I'm definitely getting pitches to hit," Helton said. "I'm just not coming through. It's tough right now when we're not scoring any runs. I'm a major part of that. There are only two ways you can go, up or down. I plan on going up."
5/10/06.. addition.. MLB.com
"I feel good with my weight," Helton said. "I feel good defensively. Offensively, it's tough. I feel good power-wise, I feel strong when I'm hitting in the cage and in batting practice. I'm just not carrying it over into the games. I can do that. It's just slowing it down and seeing the ball. I'm not real worried."
1/23/06... addition.. MLB.com
Colorado standout first baseman Todd Helton underwent what the club classified as "minor" surgery on his right (non-throwing) elbow on Monday morning.
"This was a minor procedure that we expect will sideline Todd for a couple of weeks," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said in the club's official statement. "We anticipate him being completely recovered for the start of Spring Training."
--------------
12/15/05.. addition.. Baseball Weekly
4. Todd Helton, Rockies: Helton is annually among the top offensive players in the majors, but he's always discounted for his home-road splits - a valid criticism given how much the conditions at Coors Field aid offense. This season, Helton's overall numbers - splits not withstanding - were good, but not up to his usual standard. He hit "only" .320 and had 20 home runs, thanks to a below-average April and May where he hit just .267 and .253, respectively. Helton's .445 on-base percentage was lower than those during his best seasons, but it was still good enough to lead the NL. Also, keep in mind that Helton also went on the DL for the first time in his career with a calf muscle injury. He missed 18 games, the most in his career since playing in only 35 in his rookie season in 1997.
Addition..Info...
Helton's contract allows him to opt for free agency after 2007 (a decision he'd have to make by Nov. 15, 2006), but that would involve walking away from $68.9 million in base salary.