Rockies legend Todd Helton comes agonizingly close to making Hall of Fame
Jan 24, 2023, 4:29 PM
Not this year.
That’s the bad news Rockies legend Todd Helton received on Tuesday afternoon. The former first baseman just missed out on being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Helton received 72.2 percent of the vote, and 75 percent is required for election. He came up just 11 votes short.
It was Helton’s fifth-year on the ballot as he tries to get elected into Cooperstown. He’s trending in the right direction for enshrinement in 2024.
Noted for his great bat at the turn of the century, Helton was a fantastic fielder early in his career too. Helton made five-straight All-Star games from 2000 to 2004 and was a major player in the Rockies run to the 2007 National League pennant.
A four-time Silver Slugger, three-time Gold Glove winner and the 2000 batting title winner, Helton played 17 seasons, all with the Rockies. Helton is the all-time Rockies leader in games played, WAR, hits, home runs, doubles, walks and more. His .316/.414/.539 slashline is second only to Rockies Hall of Famer Larry Walker.
Walker remains the only Hall of Famers in franchise’s nearly 30-year history, getting elected into the museum in 2020.
Helton wrapped up his career in 2013 and a year later he was the first to have his jersey number retired by the Rockies.
Helton was an instrumental part of the 2007 Rocktober team, hitting one of the biggest home runs in club history. Later in the run he famously fell to one knee as the Rockies clinched the pennant.
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