Todd Helton uses Hall of Fame speech to thank those who made his induction possible

Jul 21, 2024, 12:42 PM | Updated: 12:45 pm

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Senior Broncos Writer

Todd Helton did something Sunday at the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony that was largely foreign to him as a player: He led off.

Giving the first speech of the four-man induction class, the longtime Rockies first baseman used a series of thank-yous to trace his path.

“Those of you who know me know that I’d be more comfortable doing anything other than standing up here talking about myself,” Helton said, adding a self-deprecating remark about how little he provided the media in terms of sound bites.

“To say I’m humbled by this honor does not begin to cover how I feel standing here today.”

And then Todd Helton began his thank yous.

“I owe this incredible honor to many,” Helton said, thanking his family, and later others who influenced his baseball journey. He first mentioned his wife Christy, and then his daughters, his mother — who “watched more baseball than most big-league scouts — and his late father, who died in 2015.

Helton even shouted out his football offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee, David Cutcliffe. Helton was the quarterback in between Heath Shuler — a No. 3 overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft — and Pro Football Hall of Famer and eventual Denver Broncos legend Peyton Manning.

“Coach Cut always added some baseball words of wisdom for me on our weekly quarterback tests,” Helton said.

THANKING THOSE WITH THE ROCKIES

“The Rockies organization gave me so many friends,” Helton said, but he took time to recognize four people in particular:

Founding owner Jerry McMorris
Current owner Dick Monfort
Manager Clint Hurdle
Longtime trainer Keith Dugger
And “411 teammates on the Rockies”

Helton had a special remark for Monfort.

“Owners and players aren’t supposed to be friends off the field. Dick, thank you for your friendship,” Helton said.

Helton also thanked the fans — some of whom were on hand in Cooperstown for the induction.

“For 17 years, Denver, Colorado and the Rockies were a perfect fit for me,” Helton said.

“To all the incredible Rockies fans, thank you for my 17 years. I know you spent your hard-earned money to come to the ballpark to cheer me on.”

Longtime Rockies right fielder Larry Walker — himself a Hall of Fame inductee, as a part of the 2020 class — presented Helton for induction with a pre-recorded speech played with highlights from Helton’s career.

“There couldn’t have been a pitcher in baseball that was happy to see Todd come to the plate … Advantage Todd, every time he stepped into the batter’s box,” Walker said in his introduction.

“Todd Helton is the face of the Colorado Rockies. He’s the greatest player who ever played there, and he’ll probably be the greatest player who ever plays there.”

TODD HELTON TOOK A LONG JOURNEY TO COOPERSTOWN

It took Todd Helton six cycles before he finally cleared the 75-percent threshold to earn induction into the Hall of Fame. Helton became the second player inducted into the Hall with a Rockies logo on his plaque; Walker was the first.

The Coors Field argument appeared to work against Helton at first, although his vote total rose over the years.

Helton was more than just a product of playing half of his games at mile-high elevation, capitalizing off the carry of the baseball and the wide-open outfield spaces of Coors Field. During his career, he posted a .287/386/.469 line on the road.

The former University of Tennessee standout — and briefly quarterback before ceding the position to his friend Peyton Manning — wasn’t even affected by the 2002 installation of a humidor to store baseballs in Denver. During the four years prior to the humidor’s arrival (1998-2001, Helton had a 1.172 OPS. In the four years after it (2002-05), his OPS was 1.156.

Fortunately, the voters in the BasebalL Writers Association of America finally saw fit to give Helton his golden ticket.

Helton was “one of baseball’s most efficient athletes who blended plate discipline with elite contact skills and brute strength,” as the plaque that immortalizes Helton among the game’s greats reads. That’s a perfect description of a hitter who was as prolific as he was professional … and proved to be a perfect fit for the Rockies and Coors Field.