Todd Helton #17

Todd Lynn Helton...he and his wife, Christy, have two daughters, Tierney Faith (9/24/02) and Gentry Grace...the Helton family resides in Brighton, Colo., along with their chocolate labs, Abby and Greeley...a '92 graduate of Knox Central (Tenn.) High School, he lettered in baseball and football...was a Baseball America prep All-American during his senior season of '92, batting .655 (51-for-78)...in December of 2003, Helton presented the Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year Award for the state of Colorado to Loveland's Jeff Byers...Todd himself was a Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee for both baseball and football...was named the Boy Scouts Man of the Year for Tennessee in 2004...received the 2002 Humanitarian Award at the Sports Fans Choice Awards presented by the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame...was the recipient of the Rockies' Roberto Clemente Award in both 2000 and 2002...participates in the Rockies "Care & Share Program" and makes visits to The Children's Hospital...in October of 2002, Helton and a few other big leaguers were invited to join President George W. Bush for dinner at the White House...his teammates named him their club player representative in 1998, the first time the Rockies had named a rookie to that role...following his rookie season, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame named him its 1998 Professional Athlete of the Year...was enshrined into the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame in July of 2003...Todd played for the Peoria Javelinas in 1996...signed by Rockies scout Ty Coslow.

2012

2012 marked Helton's 15th full season (16th total) with the Rockies, as he has started Opening Day at first base for Colorado in each of those seasons (franchise record)...is the Rockies all-time leader in games (2,123), at bats (7,565), runs (1,360), hits (2,420), doubles (570), home runs (354), RBI (1,345) and walks (1,295). Helton played in his fewest games among his 15 full big league seasons in 2012 (69) due to a right hip injury that eventually required surgery and ended his season in early August. Had 11 extra-base hits and 16 RBI in April prior to injury...owned an .886 OPS (.333 OBP, .552 SLG) in April, but finished with a .743 OPS for the season. Was one of two Rockies with two grand slams (Also: Cuddyer)...first GS came 4/29 vs. NYM as a pinch-hitter and tied game at 4-4...was first career PH grand slam, 2nd career PH-HR...also hit GS on 6/13 vs. OAK...now has a franchise-record 7 career grand slams. His 16 doubles in 2012 allowed him to move into 21st on MLB all-time doubles list (570)...is two behind Ivan Rodriguez (572)...also ranks in top-100 in MLB all-time in: extra-base hits (960, T-44th), walks (1,295, 43rd), HR (354, T-81st), RBI (1,345, 85th) and OBP (.419, 20th). Notched his 7th career walk-off home run on 4/14 vs. ARI when he connected on a 2-run shot with 2 outs in the 9th inning off J.J. Putz to give the Rockies an 8-7 victory.

2011

In what was his 15th season in the Majors, all coming with the Rockies, Helton added onto his career numbers, tallying a .302 (127-for-421) batting average with 14 home runs, 69 RBI and 27 doubles...all numbers that were the best since his 2009 season...He became the first MLB player to have at least 2,270 hits, 1,280 runs, 530 2B, 330 HR, 1,250 RBI and 1,200 BB all before playing his 2,000th career game (Elias)...was 15th active player to reach 2,000 games, 6/30 vs. CWS...Through 15 career MLB seasons, Helton ranks 123rd on the MLB all-time hits list (2,363), 86th on the all-time home run list (347) and is tied for 86th on the all-time RBI list (1,308, Steve Garvey)...Helton committed just three errors in his 119 games at first base this season, the fourth time in the last five years he had just three errors or less in a season...his .997 fielding percentage marked the eighth time in his career to have a .997-plus fielding percentage in a single-season...Had his 27th career multi-homer game, 4/26 at CHC, with 2 solo shots (No. 335, No. 336 in career)...was first multihomer game since 8/7/07 vs. MIL...In 2011, Helton moved up seven positions on the all-time walks list, passing Richie Ashburn, Pee Wee Reese, Dave Winfield, Jimmy Wynn, Willie Randolph, Ty Cobb and Rusty Staub to settle into 48th-all time (1,256)...additionally, Helton moved passed Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig on the all-time doubles list and into a tie for 23rd (554, Bobby Abreu)...Collected 34 multi-hit games, tied for fourth-most on the Rockies...that mark put him at 677 career multi-hit games (59th all-time)...Helton was the National League's fourth-leading hitter prior to the All-Star break at .321...Had a nine-game hit-streak 7/8-20...was longest single-season streak since 7/25-8/11/09...hit .394 (13-for-33) with 2 home runs, 3 doubles, 11 RBI and 6 walks in streak...Ranks sixth among active players on the all-time walks list, tied second on doubles list, 14th in home runs, 10th in RBI and 11th in hits...Is the Rockies franchise leader in multiple categories, including: games, runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBI and walks...is second with his career .323 AVG, .421 OBP and .550 SLG (behind Walker's .334/.426/.618)...Has a career .971 OPS, which is second to only Albert Pujols' 1.037 career OPS among active Major Leaguers

2010

The Rockies all-time leader in nearly every offensive category, Helton played his 14th full Major League season, all with Colorado, in 2010...Helton played his age 36-37 season as the Rockies regular first baseman, though he played in just 118 games in 2010, the second-fewest of his Major League career for a full season (83 games in 2008)...Led Colorado with his 67 walks this season...2010 was his 12th straight season in which he has drawn at least 60 free passes (1999-2010)...Finished second among National League players with at least 400 plate appearances by seeing an average of 4.35 pitches per plate appearance in 2010...4.35 pitches/PA in 2010 was a career high...Continuing a career trend, Helton posted his best statistical month of the season in August, as he hit .307 (23-for-75) with five doubles, a triple, four home runs and 10 RBI in 22 games in August...Helton is a career .363 (445-for-1226) batter in 341 games during the month of August in his Major League career...the .363 average is his highest for any month...The left-handed hitter actually hit better vs. left-handers in 2010 (.272) than he did off right-handers (.248)...Helton moved into the top-40 in doubles in Major League history this season...his 18 doubles in 2010 allowed him to move from 45th to now 34th on the all-time list with 527 career doubles...Helton passed Hall-of-Famers Ricky Henderson, Joe Cronin, Ed Delahanty, Willie Mays and Ted Williams, as well as Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. on the all-time list in 2010...Had a .992 fielding percentage in 115 games at first base this season...Helton has held a .990-plus fielding percentage in all 13 of his full Major League seasons.

2009

A Comeback Player of the Year candidate, Helton hit .325 (177-for-544) with 15 HR's, 86 RBI in 151 games...finished above .300 for the 11th time in 12 full Major League seasons (1998-2009)...led all Rox players with 177 hits; Helton had not led club in hits since '05 (163), something he has done 6 times in his career...ranked 4th in NL in AVG, 3rd in OBP (.416), 6th in times on base (268)...had .348 home AVG, 3rdbest in NL; hit .388 (45-for-116) in his final 31 home games...had 38 doubles, the 11th 35-double season (10 straight from 1998- 2007) of his career...only two lefty hitters had more doubles in '09 (Brad Hawpe, Andre Ethier)...reached 500 career doubles on 7/22 vs. ARI (off Jon Garland) to become the 50th player in MLB history with 500 doubles...was one of 3 NL players with 10 or more sac flies (Bengie Molina, Casey Blake); 10 sac flies matched Helton's career high in a season (2000, '02)...led club with 51 multi-hit games, including 13 games of 3 or more hits...led all NL hitters with a .272 AVG with 2 strikes...batted .321 (44-for-137) with runners in scoring position...went 5-for-8 (.625) with 17 RBI with the bases loaded, including his 5th career grand slam (first since 9/10/06 vs. WSH)...his 15 HR's pushed him into the top 100 all-time...hit walkoff 2-run HR in bottom of 9th inn. to defeat Pirates 6/20 at Coors Field; marked his 6th career walkoff HR, his first since 9/18/07 (G2 vs. LAD)...Rox went 12-3 in games when he hit a HR...14 of his HR's were vs. right-handed pitchers...made 12th consecutive Opening Day at start at first base with Rockies, now the 2nd-longest active streak by an MLB player with the same team (Atlanta's Chipper Jones leads with 13, 1997-2009)...hit first HR 4/21 at ARI; it took him 12 games to hit his first shot...11-game hit streak snapped 5/9 vs. FLA; raised avg. from .255 to .351...became 255th player in MLB history with 2000 hits with a single to left field off Jair Jurrjens in the 3rd inning 5/19 at ATL...had 33 hits in May, his most in a month since Sept. '07 (41 hits); followed with 34 hits in August...had 31 RBI in 33 games from 5/21-6/27...20 walks in June T-3rd in NL; 30 hits in June...had .349 July AVG (6th in NL), 29 hits...16-game hit streak - 2nd longest-career - from 7/25-8/11 (.364, 24-for-66)...had 5 straight multi-hit games 8/7-11...3-hit games, 8/9-10 vs. CHC...scored 1200th career run 8/9 vs. CHC...8-game hit streak, 8/18-25...went 19-for-43 (.442) down the stretch, including multi-hit efforts in 8 of his final 11 games to raise his avg. from .315 on Sept. 20.

2008

Finished the 2008 season 43 hits shy of 2000 for his career, as well as 29 doubles shy of 500...in a season shortened by injury, Helton finished with his lowest offensive totals in every offensive category since he saw his first major league action in 1997...was placed on 15- day DL with a strained lower back on 7/4 and played in just 2 games (both as a pinch hitter) after that date...was hitting .266 (79-for-297), 7 HR 29 RBI in 81 games when he landed on the DL...had reached base safely in 70 of 81 games and ranked 9th in the NL with 141 times on base at the time...the three-time Gold Glove Award winner started 81 of the Rockies' first 86 games at first base and led all NL first baseman in total chances (890) while leading all NL players with 79 double plays prior to going on the DL...batted .266 (33-124) with 13 RBI in 35 games from the cleanup spot...saw action in the No. 2 slot in 10 games, posting a .419 OBP in those games (0-24, 9 walks)...batted .246 (17-69) vs. lefties, his lowest average in that situation since 2005 (.245)...had 2 pinch-hit AB's, his most since 2004...made his 11th consecutive Opening Day start and increased his career average to .409 (18-for-44), going 2-for-4 with a double on Opening Day...homered in consecutive games 4/4-5 vs. ARI; homered in back-to-back games for the first time since July 3-4, 2006 vs. SF...with 2 HR's in his first 5 games, was ahead of his 2007 HR pace when he did not record his second home run until 28 games into the season (5/4 at CIN)...hit safely in each of his first six games of the season; was Helton's 3rd-longest hit streak to start a season in his career (10 games in 2000; 7 games in '06)...did not reach base 4/11 at ARI, ending a game on-base streak of 41 consecutive regular season games since 8/28/07 (was the longest active streak in the majors and longest consecutive game on-base streak of his career); in those 41 games, Helton owned a .381 (59-for-155) average, .478 on-base percentage, 59 hits, 28 walks, seven home runs and 30 runs scored...recorded his first 3-hit game of '08 4/19 at HOU...made first error 4/29 (first error since 6/14/07)...drew 5 walks in LA series to get within one walk of 1,000 career...walked in his final plate appearance 4/30 at SF, giving him 1,000 free passes for his career...recorded a bunt hit 4/30 at SF, his first since 2003...2nd-inning double 5/3 vs. LAD (463rd of his career) gave him 800 career extra-base hits...marked his second milestone in a week (along with 1,000th career walk)...hit solo HR for 1,100th career RBI 5/18 vs. MIN; snapped 7-game streak with no RBI and marked his first multi-RBI game of 2008...club is 185-83 (.690) all-time when he drives in 2-plus runs in a game...reached base in all 5 plate appearances 5/20 vs. SF, drawing 3 walks (one intentional) and recorded pair of singles...hit 3-run HR 5/30 at CHC to give Rox first-inning 3-0 lead; was his first HR off a lefty in '08 and first on the road...had longest active hit streak in the NL from 5/25-6/6 (12 games, batted .410, 16-39, 2 HR, 9 RBI during the streak); was his longest hit streak since hitting safely in 13 straight games from 9/13-26, 2005...also was his 22nd hitting streak of 10-or-more games...tied seasonhigh with 3 hits 6/10 vs. SF and also hit 7th HR of season, first HR of '08 which went to the opposite field...placed on 15-day DL (strained lower back) on 7/4 (retroactive 7/3)...transferred to 60-day disabled list 8/6 and missed a total of 62 games...came off 60-day DL 9/12 and made first appearance since 7/2 vs. SD striking out in only plate appearance (as PH)...also fanned as pinch-hitter in final AB of the season on 9/14 vs. LAD.

2007

Helton batted .320 with 17 home runs and 91 RBI in 154 games for Colorado...posted his fifth consecutive season with 40 or more doubles...the 91 RBI was his most since 96 RBI in 2004...had 116 walks, the second-highest total in his career behind only 127 in 2004...ranked among NL leaders in average (9th), walks (2nd), and on-base percentage (2nd, .434)...provided likely the season's seminal moment with his walk-off homer on Sept. 18 (G2) vs. Los Angeles...hit his 300th career home run on Sept. 16 vs. Florida in fifth inning off Mauro Zarate...team's cleanup hitter for majority of the year...had a trio of four-hit games, all on road: April 25 at New York-NL, May 27 at San Francisco, and Aug. 31 at Arizona...batted .285 vs. lefties and .334 against right-handers...did not fare much better at Coors Field (.333) than on the road (.308)...hit .386 in day games, best in the NL...had a .333 average with runners on base, .356 with two outs...batted .381 (40-for-105) vs. NL East teams with 10 doubles, three HR, and 26 RBI in 31 games...hit .281 (85-for-302) with two strikes, the third-highest average in the NL...hit higher after the All-Star break (.327) than before (.313)...posted a .999 (2 e/ 1545 tc) fielding pct., the highest mark of his career...did not commit an error over his final 91 games, as his last error came June 14 at Boston...matched his fewest errors ever in a full season...was nearly robbed of those distinctions when he was originally charged with two errors in one game on July 16 at Pittsburgh's PNC Park...after a review by MLB, those two errors were taken away, reversing original calls by official scorer Tony Krizmanich...bookended the season with productive stretches at the plate...over first 34 games through May 11, batted .397 (48-for-121) with 10 doubles, four HR, 25 RBI, and 19 runs scored...had 30 walks and just 10 strikeouts in that season-opening stretch, registering .513 OBP and .579 slugging pct...the .397 average was his highest all season after the first three games of the year, and led all Major League hitters...started franchise-record 10th consecutive Opening Day game on April 2 vs. Arizona...did not start game on April 9 at Los Angeles, one of several planned off days early in the year...outside of a DL stint in April of 2006, the April 9 game was just the third time in nine seasons (1999-2007) that Helton had not started an April game for Colorado...Helton did pinch hit in that April 9 game at LA, grounding out to first base...it was his only pinch-hit appearance all year...it was his first pinch-hit appearance since Sept. 18, 2005 at Arizona (walk) and his first pinch-hit at-bat since a flyout to left on Sept. 23, 2004 vs. Arizona...Helton is now 6-for-37 (.162) as a pinch-hitter in his career with six walks...had two RBI on April 14 at Arizona, allowing him to reach 1000 career RBI...the milestone was achieved after Helton drove in John Mabry with a two-out single in the fifth inning to give the Rockies a 3-1 lead...recorded franchise-record five walks in 11-inning win on April 29 vs. Atlanta...homered three times in span of seven games from May 4-11...from May 12- Aug. 3, hit .242 (59-for-244) in 69 games to drop season figure from .397 to .293, lowest point all year after first 11 games of season...had 15 doubles, five HR, and 33 RBI in those 69 contests...posted season-high five RBI on July 4 vs. New York-NL despite just one hit and two walks in that game...had a pair of bases loaded walks in that game after one the previous night...prior to Helton, the last player with three separate RBI walks in a two-game span was Joe Torre, who pulled the trick for the Cardinals on Aug. 26 (twice) and Aug. 27, 1972 vs. San Diego at Busch Stadium II...that made Helton the first player in over 34 years to accomplish the unusual feat...in fact, Helton and Torre are the only players to draw three such walks in a two-game span in the last 50 years (1957-present)...with the pair on July 4, Helton became the first player with a pair of bases loaded walks in the same game since Cincinnati's D'Angelo Jimenez, April 24, 2004 at Pittsburgh...beginning Aug. 4, hit .370 over final 51 games to raise final season average from .293 to .320...reached base safely via hit or walk in the last 31 straight...posted lone two-homer game of '07 on Aug. 7 vs. Milwaukee in Rockies' 11-4 win...homered in his final two at-bats, consecutive innings in seventh and eighth...was 26th career multi-homer game, first in nearly two years since Sept. 2, 2005 vs. Los Angeles...hit career home run no. 300 on Sept. 16 vs. Florida, prompting Coors Field crowd to entice Helton's first career curtain call...on Sept. 18 vs. Los Angeles (Game 2), Helton hit a two-out, two-strike, two-run walk-off homer off Takashi Saito to beat the Dodgers and sweep the doubleheader... the day's wins, capped by a wild celebration at Coors Field, kept the Rockies alive in the playoff chase and ignited a franchise-record 11-game winning streak.

2006

In a season sidetracked for a second straight year by a stint on the disabled list, Helton posted career lows in home runs, batting average, and slugging percentage...hit .302 with 15 home runs, 81 RBI, 40 doubles, 91 walks, and a .404 on-base percentage in 145 games, all starts at first base for Colorado...started in all but three games for the Rockies while he was on the active roster...despite what would be characterized as an off year, still ranked seventh in the National League in both on-base percentage and batting average with runners in scoring position (.347)...also led all N.L. first basemen in fielding percentage...still had 13th-highest qualifying batting average in the league, and ranked seventh in the N.L. with a .316 average in night games...had 27 more walks than strikeouts in 2006, the fifth-largest margin among all major league players...ranked T12th in league with 91 walks and matched his career high with five triples...his 15 intentional walks ranked T7th in the league...had 40 doubles for a fourth consecutive season, and is the only player in major league history with at least 35 doubles in each of his first nine full seasons in the majors...was on the disabled list from April 20-May four with what was diagnosed as acute terminal ileitis...the DL stint included a three-night stay at Rose Medical Center in Denver beginning April 21 until his release on April 24...after several diagnostic tests, Helton was diagnosed with the intestinal ailment by Rockies team internist Dr. Allen Schreiber on April 25...ranked third on club in runs (94), hits (165), doubles, total bases (260), and multi-hit games (42)...of his 15 home runs in '06, 12 went for multiple runs and seven gave Colorado the lead...batted .326 (43-for-132) vs. lefties and .295 (122-for-414) against right-handers, his lowest career mark in the latter category...was 4-for-7 with 13 RBI with the bases loaded, including one grand slam...hit safely in 21 of 24 games vs. N.L. East clubs at .330 (30-for-91)...had a .9973 (4 e/1458 tc) fielding percentage in 145 games/starts, best in the N.L. and third-best among major league qualifiers behind only Tampa Bay's Travis Lee (.998) and Texas' Mark Teixeira (.9975)...marked the third time Helton has led the league's first basemen in fielding percentage, as the figure was third-highest of his career...committed just one error after June 16, that miscue coming on July 31 vs. Milwaukee...one of his errors was on Opening Day...led N.L. first basemen with 156 double plays...played in each of club's first 15 games before DL stint...hit safely in 13 of 15 at .347 (17-for-49) with nine doubles, a triple, a homer, nine RBI and 19 walks...was placed on the DL on April 22 (retroactive to April 20)...after being activated on May 5, batted just .236 (30-for-127) over 34 games through June 12 to drop his average to season-low .267...from June 13-27, had a .469 (23-for-49) average to rise to .311...over next 22 games from June 28-July 26, compiled a .193 (16-for-83) figure to drop to .279...beginning July 27, would hit .332 (79-for-238) over his final 60 games to finish at .302...made club-record 9th consecutive Opening Day start, passing Larry Walker (1995-98, 2000-03) for the franchise record...when placed on DL April 22, led majors with nine doubles and 19 walks...it was just the 4th time in his career to miss at least two games in a row for Colorado...it was just the second DL stint of his career, during which he missed 14 total games...went 2-for-6 in his 2-game rehab stint with Colorado Springs on May 2-3 vs. Tacoma...returned to the lineup on his first day of eligibility, May 5 vs. Houston, going 1-for-4...in May 7 series finale vs. Astros, hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning off Fernando Nieve, snapping a 1-1 tie and sending the Rockies to a 5-3 victory...accounted for Rockies' only two runs in 3-2 loss on May 31 at San Diego, hitting two-run homer in the fourth inning...hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning on June 11 vs. Los Angeles off Jonathan Broxton, giving Rockies a 5-4 lead...went 8-for-14 (.571) in Rockies' four-game sweep June 12-15 at Washington...over final two games of that series, went 5-for-5 with five walks, HR, double, five runs, and four RBI, reaching base in 10 consecutive plate appearances to fall two shy of club record...homered in consecutive games July 3-4 vs. San Francisco...his long ball on July 3 was off Noah Lowry, first home run off a left-handed pitcher in nearly a year since July 10, 2005 vs. San Diego (Chris Hammond)...from May 28-July 5, reached base safely via hit or walk in career-high 35 consecutive games...the streak matched the club record, also accomplished by Larry Walker from April 27-June 8, 2002...was ejected for the second time in his career on July 21 at Arizona by home plate umpire James Hoye...Hoye rung Helton up on a check swing without an appeal to third base on a strikeout that ended the seventh inning...was dropped to fifth in the lineup the following night, July 22 at Arizona...it marked the first time Helton started anywhere in the Rockies lineup other than the third or fourth slots since April 11, 2002 vs. Arizona at Coors Field, when he batted 5th...on Aug. 8 at Los Angeles, started in second spot in batting order for first time since Aug. 29, 1999 vs. Philadelphia...hit his 400th career double on Aug. 14 vs. Arizona in seventh inning off Claudio Vargas...had four walks Aug. 15 vs. Arizona to match club record...went 4-for-4 with a walk on Aug. 25 vs. San Diego, only four-hit game of the year...compiled season-high 10-game hit streak Aug. 30-Sept. 8, 19th time in his career to hit safely in at least 10 straight...HR Sept. 4 at San Diego gave him 1,000 career runs scored...final HR of the season came in seventh inning Sept. 10 vs. Washington, his fourth career grand slam, snapping an 8-8 tie as Rockies would win and sweep the four-game series vs. Nats...hit fourth on Sept. 17 at Arizona, only start in cleanup spot in '06...Helton hit safely in 26 of his final 30 games in '06.

2005

Had first career stint on the disabled list as he was on the shelf from July 26-Aug. 9 with a strained left calf muscle...despite the injury and a prolonged "slump" in Helton terms, still batted .320 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI in 144 games...the year snapped a stretch of 7 consecutive seasons in which Helton had hit over .315 with at least 25 home runs and 95 RBI...Todd matched Lou Gehrig (8 straight, 1930-37) and Bill Terry (9 straight, 1927-35) as the only first basemen to ever hit .315 or better for 8 consecutive seasons...had fewest games (144), at-bats (509), hits (163), homers (20), and RBI (79) of any full season in his career...was twice named National League Player of the Week...hit .383 (92-for-240) over final 69 games beginning July 1, highest average in the majors in that span, 24 points higher than the next closest batter (Cleveland's Victor Martinez, .359)...hit .367 (76-for-207) after the All-Star break, 2nd-highest figure in the majors and best in the NL...had a major league-leading .445 on-base percentage, first time in his career to lead the majors in that category and first player other than Barry Bonds to take OBP honors since 2000 (Oakland's Jason Giambi, .476)...marked Todd's second time to lead the NL in OBP (.463 in 2000)...ranked 4th in the National League with a .3202 average, still his lowest since a .3201 figure in 1999...was one of just 7 major league players to hit .320 or better in 2005, fewest in the majors since just 7 players cleared the mark in 1991...with 2 strikes, batted .280 (66-for-236), highest in NL and 3rd-highest in the majors (minimum 125 plate appearances)...ranked 4th in the league with 106 walks, his 3rd straight season with 100 or more walks, the 4th in his career...joins Philadelphia's Bobby Abreu as the only players with at least 100 walks in each of the last 3 years...Helton is one of 7 major leaguers with 4 or more 100-walk seasons in the last 6 campaigns...ranked 3rd in the NL with 22 intentional walks, matching his own career high and franchise record (also 2000)...over the last 6 seasons (beginning 2000), only Barry Bonds (309) and Vladimir Guerrero (141) have received more intentional walks than Helton (120)...ranked T2nd in the NL with 45 doubles...was his 8th consecutive season with 35 or more doubles, matching the 2nd-longest streak in ML history...it is also the longest such doubles streak ever to begin a career...had been tied with Joe Medwick, who had 7 straight seasons with 35+ doubles to open his career...has 371 doubles in an 8-year span from 1998-2005, matching the 2nd-most over an 8-year stretch in major league history...led the major leagues with a .352 batting average at night and also led majors with a .353 average vs. right-handers...hit .353 in home games, 2nd in the NL and 3rd in the majors...led Rockies with 20 home runs, 5 of which gave Colorado the lead...Helton has hit 20 or more home runs in 8 consecutive seasons, one of just 9 major leaguers with an active streak of 8 or more straight years...led team in slugging (.534), runs (92), hits (163), doubles, homers, walks, extra base hits (67), multi-hit games (46), total bases (272), go-ahead RBI (20), and game-winning RBI (10)...averaged 4.13 pitches per plate appearance, 7th-highest in the NL and highest in any season in his career...ranked 4th in NL and 8th in majors with a .979 OPS...had a walk every 5.91 plate appearances, 4th-best ratio in the majors...was not selected to NL All-Star team after a stretch of 5 straight years on the roster...batted .322 (37-for-115) with RISP...went 5-for-8 (.625) with the bases loaded, including a grand slam...hit .368 against NL West opponents with 15 home runs and 49 RBI in 67 games...half of his home runs came against the Dodgers and Padres...hit .460 (29-for-63) with 18 extra base hits, 18 runs and 18 RBI in 18 games vs. San Diego...went 9-for-18 (.500) in 6 games at Arizona's Chase Field...hit major league-best .400 (30-for-75) over 21 games in July, 4th time in his career to hit over .400 in a full month...posted a .996 fielding percentage (5 e/1361 tc) in 144 games/142 starts at first base, 3rd among qualifying National League first basemen...had 120 assists, T2nd-most in majors behind Cubs' Derrek Lee (122)...reached base safely in 24 of the first 25 games to open the year, but hit .267 for the month of April...it marked the first time he failed to hit .300 or higher in a single month since July of 2002 (.260)...prior to April '05, had posted a .300 average or better in 14 consecutive full months, matching the 3rd-longest such streak since 1969...over 14 games from April 30-May 14, batted .442 (23-for-52) with 4 home runs, 8 doubles, and 9 RBI to raise season average from .264 to .339...beginning May 15 until June 20, hit .152 (17-for-112) with one home run and 8 RBI over 32 contests, dropping season figure from .339 to .250...his homer on June 17 at Baltimore off Daniel Cabrera was first long ball since May 14, snapping a homerless drought at 28 games and 99 at-bats...matched the longest single season drought by games in his career...beginning June 21, hit .381 (104-for-273) over his final 78 games to rise from .250 to .320...had a .500 on-base percentage and .652 slugging percentage during those contests...in that final span, went consecutive games without a hit on just one occasion: Sept. 9-10 vs. Arizona...posted 2-homer games on July 7 vs. Los Angeles and Sept. 2 vs. Los Angeles...his first homer in July 7 game gave him all-time franchise lead, surpassing Larry Walker, and was also just the 26th ball to reach the third deck at Coors Field...each of his last 4 multi-homer games have come against the Dodgers at Coors Field...2nd homer on Sept. 2 was career hit no. 1500...homer on July 10 vs. San Diego came off Chris Hammond, his only long ball off a left-handed pitcher all year...was named National League Player of the Week for July 4-10 after batting .522 (12-for-23) with 4 homers, 12 RBI and a 1.174 slugging percentage during the week...was placed on the disabled list on July 30 (retroactive to July 26) with a strained left calf muscle, his first career trip to the DL...left game on July 25 vs. New York (NL) in the bottom of the 7th inning after sustaining calf injury while running from 2nd to 3rd...played 2 rehab games with Colorado Springs on Aug. 8-9 vs. Memphis...was activated on Aug. 10...hit his 3rd career grand slam on Aug. 27 at San Diego off Brian Lawrence, the Rockies' only runs in a 4-2 win...had a season-high 13-game hit streak from Sept. 13-26 at .522 (24-for-46) with 8 doubles, 2 HR, and 14 RBI...was named NL Player of the Week for Sept. 19-25 after leading league that week with a .519 average, 14 hits, 8 runs and a .567 OBP...was his 2nd time to win the award in '05, the 5th of his career...hit a 2-run HR in his next-to-last at-bat of the year, his 20th of the season.

2004

Helton batted .347 with 32 home runs and 96 RBI to become the first player in major league history to hit at least .315 with 25 HR and 95 RBI in each of his first seven full seasons in the majors...he surpassed Joe DiMaggio (1936-41), who was the only other guy to ever do it his first six campaigns...Todd became just the third player to ever reach numbers like that for seven consecutive seasons at ANY point of a career...Lou Gehrig did it for eight straight summers from 1930-37 and Babe Ruth for seven from 1926-32...Todd also matched Gehrig and Bill Terry (nine straight, 1927-35) as the only first basemen to ever hit .315 or better for seven consecutive seasons...finished runner-up for the batting title for the second straight year (Barry Bonds .362), the first player to do that in back-to-back seasons since Atlanta's Ralph Garr in 1971- 72...set a club record by hitting 30 home runs for the sixth straight campaign, making him one of only seven current players to have done that every year since 1999...broke his own club record with 127 walks, tying Lance Berkman for the second highest total in the majors behind Bonds (232)...Todd was issued 19 intentional walks, trailing only Bonds (120) and Jim Thome (26)...posted a franchise- record .469 on-base percentage, second in the majors to only Bonds' ML record .609 OBP...Todd's .469 mark would have led the NL in 94 of the 100 seasons during the last century from 1900 to 1999...ranked third in the NL with 49 doubles and joined Joe Medwick (1933-39) as the only players in major league history to hit at least 35 doubles in each of their first seven full seasons in the majors...Helton's 83 extra-base hits trailed only Albert Pujols (99) for the NL lead and his 339 total bases were third behind Pujols (389) and Adrian Beltre (376)...won his third Gold Glove Award, as he led all National League first basemen in fielding percentage (.997) and assists (144) and was second in both total chances (1504) and putouts (1356) while committing only 4 errors in 153 games...made his club-record fifth consecutive appearance in the All-Star Game, going 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter at Houston's Minute Maid Park on July 13...Todd finished fifth in the league in slugging (.620), sixth in runs scored (115), tied for seventh in hits (190) and ninth in multi-hit games (53)...he batted .326 on the road, eighth best average in the NL, while also posting the second best home clip at .368...he led the circuit in batting at night (.346) and was 10th during the day (.350)...his .360 average vs. right-handed pitchers was second to only Bonds (.395)...Helton hit .300 or better in every month and has done that now in 14 consecutive full months going back to 2002...after batting .338 in April, Todd dipped down to .311 through games of June 2...but from that point on, he hit .363 the remainder of the year (139-for-383), second to only Ichiro (.389)...compiled a .315 average with runners in scoring position, way below his career mark of .361 entering 2004...opened the year just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position and was hitting as low as .179 w/RISP (5-for-28) through May 14...he turned around to hit .354 w/RISP over the final 120 games (35-for-99)...made his seventh consecutive Opening Day start April 6 at Bank One Ballpark and went 4-for-4 in the ballgame, matching Dante Bichette's 1999 team record for most hits in a season opener...committed his first error on April 20 vs. Los Angeles, snapping a 73- game errorless streak (740 total chances) dating back to July 20, 2003...played in his 1,000th career game on April 26 vs. Florida, becoming just the third player in team history to achieve that...missed a career-high six straight games and seven consecutive starts from May 21-28 due to a strained left oblique muscle...Todd had never missed even four consecutive starts at first base and only once had he missed three straight, Sept. 14-16, 1998, when Angel Echevarria started because of Helton's sprained right wrist...returned on May 29 and started the next 50 games for the Rockies...ripped his 300th career double on June 18 vs. Baltimore, becoming the first player in Rockies history to reach 300 two-base hits...batted .418 in interleague play, third highest average in the majors behind Carlos Lee (.444) and Luis Rivas (.421)...Todd's 28 interleague hits trailed only Carl Crawford (29) and his 20 RBI ranked second behind Jim Thome (21)...recorded his 500th RBI at Coors Field on Aug. 20, joining Larry Walker (520) as the only players to ever drive in 500 runs at that ballpark...drew at least one walk in a career-high eight consecutive games, Aug. 12-21, tying a franchise record...batted .414 in the month of September, tops in the NL and second in the majors behind Seattle's Jeremy Reed (.423)...compiled a 11-game hitting streak, Sept. 22-Oct. 1, during which he hit .500 (19-for-38) with 4 doubles, 2 homers and 11 RBI...it equaled his longest streak of the season, as he also hit safely in 11 straight from June 25-July 6...batted .475 (28-for-59) over his final 16 games with 12 RBI but fell short of 100 RBI for the sixth straight year...in the final home game of the season, Sept. 27 vs. St. Louis, Todd belted his 155th career home run at Coors Field, breaking Walker's ballpark record of 154.

2003

Added yet another chapter to what has been one of the finest stretches to begin a career in major league history...Helton batted .358 (209-for-583) with 49 doubles, 5 triples, 33 homers and 117 RBI in 160 games...matched Joe DiMaggio as the only players in the history of the game to hit at least .315 with 25 home runs and 95 RBI in each of their first six full seasons...became one of only six players in ML history to record a .300 batting average, 30 HR, 100 RBI and 100 runs in five consecutive years...the others? Lou Gehrig (nine seasons, 1929-37), Babe Ruth (seven, 1926-32), Jimmie Fox (five, 1932-36), Frank Thomas (five, 1993-97) and Vladimir Guerrero (five, 1998-2002)...only Helton and Manny Ramirez have hit .300 with 30 HR and 100 RBI in every season since 1999...the former Tennessee Vol will enter 2004 as the active leader in career average (.337) and slugging percentage (.616) among all players with at least 3,000 plate appearances...finished .00022 points behind Albert Pujols in what was the closest batting race in National League history...Pujols went 2-for-5 on the season's final day to finish at .35871 while Helton was 2-for- 4 to finish at .35849...with Pujols' game already completed, Helton came to bat in the eighth inning at Qualcomm Stadium needing just one hit to secure the batting crown, only to be walked intentionally...the closest previous race in NL history occurred in 1931, when St. Louis' Chick Hafey beat out New York's Bill Terry by .00028...overall, it was the third-closest race in major league history...in 1945, the Yankees' Snuffy Stirnweiss beat Tony Cuccinello of the White Sox by .00009 and in 1949, Detroit's George Kell edged Boston's Ted Williams by .00016...the real story wasn't his narrow defeat but rather how Todd even got that close in the first place...Helton did not lead the NL in batting average for a single day this season and was actually 56 points behind Pujols on the morning of June 15 (.379 to .323)...from that point until the end of the season, Todd batted .385 (129-for-335)...he hit .373 after the All-Star Break (84-for-225), including a .383 mark in September (31-for-81)...only Barry Bonds (.388) had a higher second half average...won his fourth straight Louisville Silver Slugger Award as the NL's top hitting first baseman... surpassed 200 hits for the second time in his career, finishing with 209, runner-up to Pujols (212) in the NL...Todd is the only player in Rockies history to have 200 hits twice in their career...drew a club record 111 walks, breaking his own mark of 103 set in 2000...tied Jim Thome for the second most free passes in the NL behind Bonds (148)...Helton's 21 intentional walks ranked third in the senior circuit and one short of his own record of 22 set in 2000...fell one double shy of becoming the first and only player in ML history to produce three different seasons of 50 doubles, 30 homers and 100 RBI...he and Chuck Klein (1930-32) are already the only guys to do it twice...since 1998, no active player has more doubles than Helton (277)...posted his fifth consecutive 100-RBI campaign, joining Dante Bichette (1995-99) as the only players in franchise history to accomplish that...led all of baseball by hitting .417 (55-for-133) with runners in scoring position, the only qualifier to hit above .400 w/RISP...paced the majors with a .391 average at home but also had the ninth-highest road average in the NL at .324...hit .387 vs. lefthanders (77-for-199), which not only led all southpaws this season but was the third highest average by a left-handed hitter vs. left-handed pitching since the stat was first recorded in 1974...only Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Sr. in 1976 (.393) and the Cubs' Bill Buckner in 1978 (.389) posted higher averages vs. LHP...made his fourth consecutive appearance at the All-Star Game, his third straight as the National League's starting first baseman...became the first Rockie to hit a home run in the Mid-Summer Classic, as he ignited a 5-run fifth inning for the NL by belting a 2-run homer of Shigetoshi Hasegawa at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago...Todd's shot gave the NL a 2-1 lead in what appeared to be the difference until a late rally by the American League...saw his two-year hold on the Gold Glove Award come to an end, as Florida's Derrek Lee beat him out in the final voting...Todd committed a career-high 11 errors but still posted a .993 fielding percentage...finished with a ML-high 156 assists, the eighth most by a first baseman since 1900 and the most since Mark Grace had 167 in 1991...also led all first basemen in total chances (1585), putouts (1418), doubleplays (149) and his 159 starts trailed only Richie Sexson (162)...made his sixth Opening Day start on April 1 in Houston, passing Andres Galarraga for most starts by a first baseman in club history...was named NL Player of the Month in April, his fourth career player of the month award (May & August of 2000, May of 2002)...enjoyed the best April of his career, batting .337 (33-for-98) with 28 runs, 11 doubles, 6 homers, 27 RBI and 24 walks in 27 games...Shawn Chacon was named NL Pitcher of the Month in April and thus the duo became the first teammates to win both monthly awards since Cincinnati's Greg Vaughn and Denny Neagle in 1999...on April 8 vs. St. Louis, Todd set a club record by reaching base safely in all 7 plate appearances in a 13-inning loss to the Cardinals...collected his 1,000th career hit on April 25 vs. the Cubs, becoming only the ninth active player to reach the 1,000 hit plateau in 850 or fewer games (844)...had a career-long homerless drought of 89 at-bats from April 25 to May 3...went 4-for-5 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI on May 29 vs. Los Angeles...his HR and total bases (13) tied career highs while his 6 RBI set a new personal best...it was the second 3-homer game of his career (May 1, 2000 vs. Montreal) and 10th in Rockies history...joined Larry Walker as the only players to ever do it twice...hit his 200th career HR June 30 vs. Arizona, becoming only the fourth player in Rox history with 200 clouts...finished the first half as hot as anyone, hitting safely in 27 of his last 28 contests with a .409 (45-for-110) average...hit safely in a career-best 17 straight games June 15-July 2, batting .391 (27-for-69) with 17 runs, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers and 8 RBI...the streak was snapped July 3 vs. Arizona (0-for-4), so Todd decided to start another one the following day in Milwaukee...his next streak lasted 14 games from July 4- 20, during which he batted an even .500 (26-for-52) with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers and 17 RBI...all told, he hit safely in 31 of 32 games, batting a collective .424 (53-for-125) to raise his average from .323 on June 15 to .357 on July 21...also possessed a 16-game road hitting streak from June 15 to July 20, second longest in franchise history...Vinny Castilla holds the record with a 21-gamer in 1997...his 125 hits before the break set a new Rockies record, topping Bichette's 124 during the first half of 1998...August has always been Todd's best month at the plate and 2003 was no different...started the month by going 12-for-27 (.481) in his first seven games and wound up at a .385 batting clip for the month (35-for-91)...on Aug. 21 vs. Florida, Helton led off the ninth inning with a solo shot down the leftfield line off Braden Looper to give the Rockies a 5-4 victory and a series sweep of the eventual World Champion Marlins...it was his fourth career walkoff home run and 22nd in Rockies history...compiled a 13-game hit streak Sept. 3-19, his third 10-plus streak of 2003...hit his 30th HR on Sept. 17, equaling Castilla's (1995-99) team record of five consecutive seasons with at least 30 home runs...tallied 61 multi-hit games for the year, tied for the second most in the NL...amassed 40 two-hit games, 16 three-hit and 5 four-hitters.

2002

The lone Rockie All-Star for the 2002 season, Todd again proved to be a cornerstone at first base for the club, winning his third consecutive Louisville Silver Slugger Award and second straight Rawlings Gold Glove ... finished fourth in the NL with a .329 average and racked up over 30 home runs, 100 runs, 100 RBI and 300 total bases for the fourth consecutive campaign ... only Helton, Carlos Delgado, Jason Giambi, Sammy Sosa and Vladimir Guerrero have done that each of the last four seasons ... Guerrero and Sosa are the only players to do it the last five years ... is the first player in franchise history to score 100 or more runs in four consecutive seasons ... Todd's final numbers saw the lefty hit 30 homers, score 107 times, knock in 109 runs and total 319 bases ... named an All-Star for the third time in his career and second straight as the NL's starting first baseman ... went 1-for-2 in the Midsummer Classic at Miller Park in Milwaukee with a run scored and an RBI ... that RBI, the first-ever by a Rockies player in All-Star history ... drove in Jimmy Rollins with a single up the middle and then scored on a Barry Bonds home run ... in voting by his peers, was named to The Sporting News' post-season All-Star team ... in the field, the Gold Glover committed only seven errors in 1477 chances ... his .995 fielding percentage was tied for the third best in the NL and his 1357 putouts were the most in the majors among first basemen ... went error-free the last 55 games he saw action in, a total of 523 chances without a miscue ... had 182 hits, his lowest amount since 1998 (167) ... although his hits total was not up to the standard he's set in the past, it still ranked seventh in the NL ... the 2002 season marked the first time since '99 that Helton has had under 50 doubles, connecting on 39 two-baggers ... now has 191 doubles over the last four years, the most among any player in the majors ... the 30 homers marked his lowest amount since 1998 when he hit 25 ... his 30th bomb came in the Rox final home game, Sept. 22 vs. Arizona, a two-run shot that gave the Rockies an 8-6 lead en route to a 11-7 win over the Diamondbacks ... Helton's first homer of 2002 came vs. Los Angeles April 15 ... it took him 47 at-bats to notch his first dinger ... later, he went 80 AB's without an HR, a stint spanning from June 22-July 24, the longest homerless stretch of Todd's 821-game career ... finished the season with 57 multihit games, third most in the NL ... had 45 two-hit contests, 10 three-hitters and and a pair of four-hit games ... walked 99 times, the second most of his career (103 in 2000) ... drew 21 intentional free passes, one short of his career high of 22 set during the 2000 season ... the IBB's were more than half of the team's 40 free passes and now give him the most in franchise history (69) ... batted above .300 in every month except for July (.260) ... it was the first time since April of 2001 (.274) that Helton has batted under .300 in a calendar month ... started the season by going 2-for-4 in St. Louis on Opening Day, but then failed to notch a hit in his next 19 at-bats ... that 0-for-19 hitless spell was the longest of his career, as he had gone 13 ABs without a hit on two other occasions in 2000 (May 23-26 and June 22-26) ... snapped the slump in the Rockies' home opener April 8 vs. Houston when he singled in the eighth inning ... parlayed that into a 12- game hit streak, batting .395 (17-for-43) with 3 doubles, a pair of triples and homers, knocked in 12 runs and scored 14 ... the streak fell two games short of his career long 14-gamer set in 2000 and would prove to be Todd's longest streak of the season ... recorded his 800th career hit April 12 vs. Arizona, becoming the eighth fastest active player to reach the 800 plateau (676 games) ... the quickest to reach the 800 mark among active players was Nomar Garciaparra who did in 587 games ... tied a franchise record when he smacked 2 triples in Arizona April 19, now done nine times ... hit 10 home runs in May, the second most clouts in a calendar month for his career (11 in May of 2000) ... the 10 homers earned Helton NL Player of the Month ... during the month, he batted .347 (35-for-101) with 6 doubles, a triple, 10 homers and 28 RBI ... his lone multi-homer game of the season came on May 10 in New York vs. the Mets, the 21st of his career ... also scored his 500th career run that night ... hit his 100th home run at Coors Field on May 24 vs. San Francisco off Russ Ortiz ... tallied his 200th career double May 26 at San Francisco ... on June 15 vs. Cleveland, Helton made his 670th career start at first base, moving past Andres Galarraga (669) for most starts at first base in franchise history ... after going 80 at-bats without an HR, he homered in three straight games, July 24-27 ... it was the first time the southpaw has hit a homer in three straight games since hitting one in a career-best four straight contests, July 27-31, 2001 ... belted his second career grand slam Aug. 7 vs. Cincinnati off Joey Hamilton ... it was the fifth slam by a Rockie in 2002, tying the team record ... set a career high in strikeouts with 4 on Sept. 1 in San Diego, the first 4-strikeout game of his professional career ... tied his career high with 5 RBI on Sept. 22 vs. Arizona ... missed two games near the end of the season to be with his wife, Christy, who gave birth to the couple's first child, Tierney Faith, on Sept. 24 in Denver.

2001

Helton finished the season runner-up to Larry Walker for the NL batting title, hitting .336 (197-for-587) with 54 doubles, two triples, 49 homers and 146 RBI.

• Todd appeared in his second career All-Star Game, at Seattle (Atlanta, 2000), making his first start.
• He went 0-for-2 in the Mid-Summer Classic.
• Todd played in 159 games, 157 starts, for the Rockies in 2001...he led the team and finished tied for fourth in the NL in games played.
• The 146 RBI that Helton drove in this season was the third most in single season franchise history, behind Andres Galarraga's 150 in 1996 and Todd's 147 that he knocked in during his 2000 campaign.
• The 293 runs knocked in over the last two seasons is the most combined in back-to-back seasons in franchise history...Galarraga had the old record of 290 RBI in 1996-1997.
• He had 98 walks, 15 intentional, on the season contributing to his .432 on-base percentage.
• He finished 2001 with a slugging percentage of .685.
• Both the OBP and SLG percentages ranked fourth highest in the circuit and second and first on the team respectively...only Larry Walker had a higher on-base percentage (.449) for the Rockies.
• The 54 doubles Todd had were the second most in his career (59 in 2000)...they were also the second most doubles this season in the majors, falling one short of Lance Berkman's 55.
• With the 54 doubles this season, Todd became only the seventh player in history to record 50 doubles in consecutive seasons, the fourth National Leaguer.
• Todd finished the season with over 100 extra-base hits for the second consecutive season, becoming the first player in MLB history to accomplish that feat.
• Helton committed only two errors in 1427 total chances at first base this season.
• He finished with a .999 fielding percentage, highest in the majors among first basemen.
• Helton's first error of 2001 came on June 30 in Arizona, breaking a string of 98 errorless games, most ever by a Rockie infielder.
• Between his two 2001 miscues, Todd had 642 errorless chances.
• He knocked in his 500th career run on September 21 in Montreal...it took the southpaw only 651 career games, 2,311 AB's to accomplish the 500 RBI mark.
• 31 of Todd's 146 RBI were go-ahead RBI, tied for the ninth most in the NL.
• The Rockies' first baseman scored 132 runs in 2001, becoming only the second player in franchise history to score 100-plus runs in three consecutive seasons (Larry Walker 1997-1999).
• His career batting average is now .334 (791-for-2368), the highest among active players with a minimum of 1000 plate appearances.
• He also raised his career slugging percentage to .622, that also ranks first among active players with at least 1000 plate appearances.
• In the pinch this season, Todd was 0-for-2.
• At home, Todd had the second best average (.384, 114-for-297) in the circuit, behind only Larry Walker's .406.
• Away from home, Helton batted .286 (83-for-290) with 23 doubles, 22 homers and 62 RBI.
• Todd hit lefties at a .290 (49-for-169) clip, with 13 doubles, a triple, seven homers and 27 RBI.
• Versus righties, he batted .354 (148-for418), with 41 doubles, a triple, 42 homers and 119 RBI.
• With RISP, Todd was a .360 (62-for-172) batter with 16 doubles and 15 homers.

EXTRA EXTRA ...Todd became the first player in major-league history to have over 100 extra base hits in back-to-back seasons.

• He had 105 total extra base hits in 2001 (54 doubles, two triples and 49 homers).
• In 2000, Todd had 103 extra-base hits (59 doubles, two triples and 47 homers).
• Helton became only the third player in league history to have multiple extra base-hit seasons in a career.
• He joins Lou Gehrig and Chuck Klein as the only players to have two seasons of 100-plus extra base hits.
• On the road this season, Todd tallied 45 extra-base hits (23 doubles and 22 homers).

TYING AN ALL-TIME HIGH ...With his 49 bombs on the season, Helton tied the all-time franchise lead in homers (Larry Walker, 49, 1997).

• He now has two of the top 10 single season homerun totals in franchise history, 42 in 2000 and 49 in 2001.
• 22 of his 49 homers this season came away from Coors.
• He left the yard an average of once every 12 AB's, the fourth highest average in the circuit.
• Todd had three multi-homer games in 2001, giving him 20 over his career.
• He had one walk-off homer in 2001, coming on July 31 vs. Philadelphia.
• Helton hit his first career grand slam on May 28 at Los Angeles off Eric Gagne in the fifth inning of a 11-10 loss.
• Here's his homer breakdown for 2001:
• 28 solo homers
• 10 two-run homers
• 10 three-run homers
• 1 grand slam
• He had 21 two-out homers

MULTI-HIT AFFAIR ...Todd had 59 multi-hit games in 2001, ranking him fifth in the NL and eighth in the majors.

• He had 36 two-hit games, 17 three-hit and six four-hit games.

POM'S ...Todd was named the Rockie Player of the Month twice in 2001, May and August.

• In May, he batted .370 (40-for-108) with 14 doubles, nine homers, 36 RBI and smacked his first career grand slam on the 28th.
• He had a slugging percentage of .704 in the month as well.
• August saw Helton bat .389 (42-for-108) with 10 doubles, eight homers and 25 RBI.
• He had a 14-game hitting streak from August 9-24, tying his career high set August 10-22 of 2000.


400 AGAIN ...Todd finished the season with 402 total bases on the year, becoming only the fourth player in history to total 400-plus bases in consecutive seasons (405 in 2000).


• He was only the second player in NL history to do it...Chuck Klein did it in 1929 and 1930.
• Gehrig (1930, 1931) and Jimmy Foxx (1932, 1933) are the only other two to have back-to-back 400-plus total base seasons.
• Only Klein, Helton, Rogers Hornsby and Sammy Sosa have had more than one season of 400 or more total bases in the NL.
• The all-time record for the most seasons of 400 or more total bases is held by Gehrig, who did it five times.


HELTON'S TOP-10 LIST ...Todd finished in the top-10 in the NL in the following categories:


• Todd finished the season with a .336 batting average, second highest.
• He was third in the circuit in homers (49).
• The 146 RBI Todd had ranked second.
• Todd's 59 multi-hit games ranked fifth.
• He had 132 runs, good enough for second best.
• With 197 hits on the season, he finished with the fourth most.
• He had 402 total bases, which was fourth most.
• The 54 doubles was second.
• He had 98 free passes on the season, tied for sixth most.
• His on-base percentage was .432, fourth best.
• Helton's slugging percentage was .685, the fourth highest.
• His 105 extra-base hits was second.
• He batted .384 at home, the second highest such average.
• With RISP, he batted .360, the sixth highest average.
• At night he batted .340, the fourth highest average.
• Versus righties, his .354 average was the highest.
• Todd's RBI ratio was once every 4.0 AB's, tied for third highest.
• His home run ratio per at bats was 12.0, fourth highest.




2000

SUMMARY
Todd completed one of the finest wire-to-wire campaigns ever...the Associated Press named him Major League Player of the Year.
• He earned his first career all-star appearance, an invitation from NL manager Bobby Cox.
• He won his first career batting title, by 17 points, leading the majors with a .372 average...Todd commanded the NL leaders over the season's final 127 days, from May 28-Oct. 1...in 2000 alone, he improved his career average 19 points (.315 to .334).
• Helton led the majors with 147 RBI, the second highest total in club history, three shy of Andres Galarraga's 1996 Rockies record, 150...he also led the NL with a 3.9 AB/RBI ratio.
• Todd led the NL with 63 multi-hit games, including his career high, five hits, May 3 vs. Montreal.
• He posted a club-record 44 multi-RBI games, surpassing Galarraga's 42 in 1997...Helton's season high, five RBI on May 1 vs. Montreal, tied his career best (third time).
• In the field, his .995 fielding percentage ranked third among NL first basemen...however, he led NL first basemen in games (160), putouts (1,326), assists (149), total chances (1,482) and double plays (143)...he originated 11 ground-ball double plays...and, he built a 43-game errorless streak...the stretch from June 26-Aug. 12 covered 411 total chances.
• His 42 home runs tied for seventh in the league...by himself, he accounted for 26 percent of Colorado's 161 homers...Todd left the park in seven of his final 10 starts...Helton tied a club record with eight multi-homer games (Galarraga 1996, Larry Walker 1997), matching his career total entering the season...included was his single-game career high, three homers, May 1 vs. Montreal...that effort also gave him 13 total bases, another career best.
• With runners in scoring position, Helton (.392, 60-for-153) swiped the NL individual honors from teammate Jeff Cirillo (.391)...Todd went 10-for-his-final-14 w/RISP...he took the lead on the season's final day from Cirillo, who led the NL from July 18-Oct. 1...Helton enters next season batting a career .354 (166-for-469) w/RISP.
• Todd led the league in batting both at night (.362, 132-for-365) and during the day (.391, 84-for-215), as well as vs. RHP (.387, 169-for-437).
• At home, he hit .391 (118-for-302), third in the league.
• On the road, he was 98-for-278 (.353), third in the NL.
• Helton also led the NL with a club-record .463 on-base percentage, a .698 slugging percentage, 405 total bases and 216 hits...his slugging mark and total bases also led the majors.
• He started 156 games and reached via hit or walk in 141 (90 percent)...on the road, he reached via hit or walk in 68 of 76 starts (89 percent)...at home, he reached via hit or walk in 73 of 80 starts (91 percent).

LEGENDARY COMPANY
Helton became only the fifth player, the first in 63 years and the first ever in the National League with at least...
• 200 hits, 40 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 runs, 100 extra-base hits and 100 walks.
• The others: Babe Ruth (1921), Lou Gehrig (1927 & '30), Jimmie Foxx (1932) and Hank Greenberg (1937).

ANOTHER EXCLUSIVE MEMBERSHIP
Todd hit .372 with 42 home runs...
• Only three players ever have combined that high of an average with that many home runs: Babe Ruth in 1920, 1921, 1924 and 1931; Lou Gehrig in 1927 and Rogers Hornsby in 1922.

THE ROCKIES IN 2000 WITHOUT HELTON?
Had Todd Helton never played for the Rockies this season, Colorado would've lost...
• Nine points on its batting avg. (.285, rather than .294).
• 18 points on its slugging pct. (.427 rather than .455).
• 13 points on its on-base pct. (.349 rather than .362).
• 285 runs (683 total runs, rather than 968; Helton scored 138 runs and drove in 147).
• Eight game-tying home runs, 17 game-tying RBI, 11 go-ahead home runs and 29 go-ahead RBI.

FRUITS OF THE MILWAUKEE TALK
Before their game with the Brewers Aug. 11, 1999, Todd Helton and Clint Hurdle, Colorado's hitting coach, had a heart-to-heart conversation at County Stadium.
• From that afternoon, Helton over a 180-game stretch proceeded to bat .394 (258-for-655).
• The stretch ended Aug. 28, 2000 at Veterans Stadium, when Todd capped a 3-for-4 night with a double.

FLIRTING WITH .400
Helton captivated national attention in August with a run at .400, the first challenge that late in a season in 20 years.
• On Aug. 21 in the sixth inning, Helton singled to reach .400 (exactly, 178-for-445)...he'd reached .3995 twice in the previous three days, but Elias Sports Bureau ruled that a player must completely clear .400 without rounding up...he became the first player since George Brett on Sept. 4, 1980 to touch .400 that late.
• From that point on, Todd batted .281 (38-for-135), .253 at home (20-for-79) and .321 (18-for-56) away.
• However, over the 162 Rockies games from Aug. 29, 1999 to Aug. 28, 2000, he batted .395 (231-for-585) with 42 homers and 144 RBI.
• Helton reached .400 on Aug. 21 after a steep climb...that sixth-inning single capped a 46-for-89 run, in which he batted .517 over 24 games...the run improved his season average 29 points, from .371 on July 28 to .400 in the sixth inning Aug. 21.
• Todd ended his day above .400 on 28 occasions: April 8-9, May 12-23 and May 27-June 10...on Aug. 21, after reaching .400 in the sixth inning, he went 0-for-his-last-2 and ended the day at .398...after play on May 31 vs. Houston, his average reached a season-high .421.
• He hit .400 or better vs. nine clubs, .500 or better vs. four teams and .625 vs. the Montreal Expos.

HE WASN'T A CUBS FAN
The Chicago Cubs took a big bite out of Helton's 2000 season.
• Todd vs. the Cubs batted .114 (4-for-35)...he went 0-for-11 vs. Chicago in a Coors Field series, May 23-25.
• Had Helton avoided Cubs pitching, he would've batted .389 (212-for-545).

THE PERCENTAGE TRIPLE CROWN
Helton, who led the NL in batting (.372), on-base percentage (.463) and slugging percentage (.698), gave the Rockies consecutive percentage triple crowns...Larry Walker in 1999 earned a percentage triple crown, the first in the majors since Brett in 1980, and the first in the NL since Stan Musial in 1948.
• Walker and Helton have made the Rockies the majors' first team to record percentage triple crowns in consecutive seasons with different players.
• The last team to win consecutive percentage triple crowns was the 1941-42 Boston Red Sox (Ted Williams both seasons).
• The last NL team to win consecutive percentage triple crowns was the 1920-23 St. Louis Cardinals (Rogers Hornsby all four years).

ACCOLADES
Besides his all-star invitation and AP Major League Player of the Year, Todd earned several other individual honors...
• His peers voted him the NL's Player of the Year, announced at the annual Players Choice Awards.
• Helton earned the second annual Hank Aaron award, as the NL's best offensive player in 2000...Aaron presented Todd with the honor in New York Feb. 4.
• He filled first-base slots on the NL's Louisville Silver Slugger team, and AP major league all-star team.
• Baseball Digest named him its Major League Player of the Year.
• Baseball Digest, and USA Baseball Alumni also named Helton Major League Player of the Year.
• Elias Sports Bureau calculated him the top statistical position player in its annual rankings.
• He received the Walter Fenner "Buck" Leonard Legacy Award, presented by Buck O'Neil and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
• Baseball honored Todd with the Rockies' Roberto Clemente Man of Year, for his community contributions in Eastern Tennessee.
• He earned the NL's Player of the Month in both May and August.
• In May, he batted .512 (42-for-82) with 11 homers and 26 RBI...only two players in the 1990s hit at least .500 over a calendar month (minimum 50 AB): Baltimore's Roberto Alomar in Sept. 1997 and Colorado's Larry Walker in Sept. 1998.
• In August, he batted .476 (50-for-105) with seven homers and 32 RBI.
• The NL also named Helton Player of the Week May 8-14, and co-POW July 16-23 and Aug. 14-20.
• The Rockies honored him with three of their six Player of the Month awards: April, May and August.

READ ALL ABOUT IT
Helton's 103 extra-base hits tied for the fourth most in major league history.
• His extra-base hits tied for the second most ever by an NL player...he fell four short of Chuck Klein's 1930 senior circuit record, 107...among NL players, he tied Klein's 103 EBH in 1932 and Stan Musial's 103 in 1948...among AL players, Babe Ruth (119 in 1921), Lou Gehrig (117 in 1927), Albert Belle (103 in 1995) and Hank Greenberg (103 in 1937) either matched or topped Helton.
• He became the ninth player ever to eclipse 100 EBH.
• 13 of his last 19 hits went for extra bases.

AN AFFINITY FOR THE NINTH INNING
Helton homered seven times in the ninth, more than any frame.
• His last three HR, including his game-winning shot off John Rocker at Atlanta Oct. 1, came in the ninth.
• In his last home at-bat, Sept. 28 vs. Arizona, he blasted a three-run shot over the center-field wall.
• He homered five times each in the first, second, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth frames.
• He homered three times in the third inning and two times in the fourth.

MILESTONES
Helton reached four early career benchmarks in 2000...
• Todd posted his 500th career hit, July 18 vs. Oakland.
• The next night, he notched his 300th career RBI, July 19 at Los Angeles.
• He got his 1,000th career total base Aug. 28 at Veterans Stadium.
• And, on Sept. 15 at Dodger Stadium, he recorded career HR No. 100.

ON THE ROAD
In the NL, Helton finished tied for third with Vladimir Guerrero with a .353 road batting average; only Mike Piazza (.377) and Moises Alou (.362) hit better away from home...Todd's 31 road doubles led the majors.
• In road games, he went 63-for-his-last-157 (.402), and 39-for-his-last-92 (.424).
• After reaching .400 on Aug. 21, Helton over the season's final 37 games actually hit better on the road (.321, 18-for-56) than at home (.253, 20-for-79).

DOUBLE TAKE
Todd's 59 doubles were the most in the majors in 64 years...
• The last players to hit at least 59 doubles in a season were the Cards' Joe Medwick (NL-record 64) and the Tigers' Charlie Gehringer (60), both in 1936.
• Helton surpassed Dante Bichette's 1998 club record, 48, with more than a month left in the season.
• He led the majors with 31 doubles on the road.

WALK THIS WAY
Todd walked more in 2000 than any player in club annals...
• His 103 total walks tied for fourth in the NL, and surpassed Walt Weiss' 1995 club record, 99.
• Todd's 22 intentional walks tied for second in the NL, and surpassed Larry Walker's 1997 club record, 14...Helton (33) enters 2001 six intentional walks shy of Walker's career Rockies record, 39.
• In the 21 games opponent managers chose to intentionally walk him, the Rockies were 15-6, 7-3 at home and 8-3 on the road...Bobby Cox intentionally walked him twice on April 4...on four occasions, the batter after opponents put Helton on, drove in runs (Jeffrey Hammonds all four times, six total RBI).

STREAKS
Todd compiled four hitting streaks of at least 10 games during the 2000 season...the four streaks combined for 45 games.
• Helton opened the season with hits in his first 10 games (see below).
• He matched the 10-game hitting streak, May 6-21...that stretch, along with the 10-gamer to open the year, tied his career long (two times before 2000).
• Todd built his longest career hitting streak (at the time) from June 26-July 5, an 11-game string...the streak ended July 6 when he went 0-for-3 with two BB.
• Then, from Aug. 10-22, he hit safely in 14 straight games, a new personal best...Todd was 28-for-51 (.549) with four homers and 16 RBI over the stretch.
• Todd's longest streak without a hit was 0-for-13, twice: May 23-26, including an 0-for-11 series vs. Chicago, and June 21-25.

OUT OF THE GATES
One of Helton's major goals was to begin the season much more productively than he had his previous two years.
• With hits in his first 10 games, Todd registered the franchise's second longest streak ever to open a regular season (Ellis Burks, 14, 1994)...the season opening streak ended April 14 when he went 0-for-1 with three walks...he went on to hit safely in 17 of his first 18 games.
• He actually hit safely in 26 consecutive games, the final 16 of the exhibition season and the first 10 of the regular campaign.
• Todd posted either a hit, walk or RBI in his first 39 games...he went 0-for-4 with no RBI and no walks May 23 vs. Chicago.
• His season average peaked at .421 entering June 1.



1999

After an outstanding rookie season, in which he finished a close runner-up to Rookie of the Year Kerry Wood, the Rockies and Helton agreed to terms on a four-year contract, March 2.
• He hit nearly 100 points better in Rockies wins than in Rockies losses, and 23 of his 35 homers, and 75 of his 113 RBI, came in Colorado victories
• The Rockies asked him to bat in five slots in the order (second, third, fifth, sixth and seventh).
• On April 8 at Los Angeles, he delivered a two-out, three-run homer in the seventh, the deciding blast in a 4-1 win...the game marked the first of 19 in which Todd drove in at least three runs; the Rockies were 13-6 in those contests.
• He went 1-for-17 to close April, by far his toughest month (.232, three homers, 13 RBI).
• Helton changed with the calendar, opening May with a season-long 10-game hitting streak.
• On June 2 at Atlanta, Helton blasted a solo homer to break a 2-2 tie in the 10th, in a 3-2 win.
• He opened the most memorable week of his career June 14 vs. the Giants; inserted as a pinch runner, he delivered a three-run double in his only at-bat (nine pitches), the game-winning hit in a 5-4 Rockies win...he homered and drove in four runs the next day in a 15-6 Colorado win...on June 18 vs. Florida, Todd was 3-for-5, tied a career-high with five RBI and homered twice, the second of which was his first career game-ending home run...one night later, on June 19, Helton doubled, singled and homered; in his fourth trip, knowing he needed his first triple since 5/15/98, he drove a pitch off the right-field wall and slid into third, posting the third cycle in club history...he capped the week with a homer and two more RBI and ran away with the NL Player of the Week...at one point during the Marlins series, he'd reached base in eight straight trips...amazingly, Helton's first four hits after his cycle were a homer, single, double and triple.
• Todd fell one hit shy of a second cycle on four occasions; only one player since 1900 (Brooklyn's Babe Herman in 1931) cycled twice in a season.
• He broke out of a July slump with another incredible August...Helton, who in 1998 led the majors with a .398 August average, hit .364 during the month in '99, with eight homers and 28 RBI.
• Todd strung together three significant hitting streaks over the season's final two months...from August 11-15, he posted five consecutive multi-hit games (.480, 12-for-25, four homers, 10 RBI)...from August 29 to September 1, he had four straight multi-hit games (11-for-18, .611, triple, three homers, eight RBI)...finally, from September 8-13, Helton posted multiple hits in five straight (.545, 12-for-22, three doubles, three homers, eight RBI).
• On Sept. 27 at Arizona, Helton sat out his third and final game; he played in a club-leading 159 games.



1998

In the closest balloting in 16 years, Todd finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year race, despite leading all major-league rookies in average (.315), homers (25), RBI (97), multi-hit games (49), total bases (281), slugging percentage (.530) and extra-base hits (63)...among NL rookies, he was first in runs (78), hits (167), and on-base percentage (.380)...since 1972, only Mike Piazza (35), David Justice (28), and Darryl Strawberry (26) had hit more homers as an NL rookie, and only Piazza had more RBI (112).
• On May 10 at Montreal Todd registered his first career multi-homer game
• Greg Colbrunn's July 30 trade to Atlanta officially ended the club's first-base platoon.
• Helton led the majors in August with a .398 average, hitting safely in 24 of his 29 games with 29 RBI...he went 5-for-8 in an August 18 doubleheader at New York, pushing his average past .300, where it would remain the rest of the year...he had at least one RBI in seven consecutive games August 22-28 (13 total) and finished second to Jeff Kent in the NL-Player of the Month balloting
• A sprained right wrist (during an at-bat Sept.13 at San Francisco) kept him out of action during the Los Angeles series, September 14-16.
• On Sept. 23 vs. Arizona, he was 3-for-5 with a double, two homers and a career-high five RBI.
• His 25th and final homer was a three-run blast in the season finale, Sept. 27 vs. San Francisco; the homer played a key role in helping the Rockies erase a seven-run deficit to beat the Giants.
• On the year, 12 of Helton's 25 homers either tied the game or put the Rockies in front.
• His club leading .386 average with men in scoring position was fourth in the NL.



1997

Todd opened the season at Triple-A, where he was hitting .352 upon his Aug. 1 recall.
• Todd made a memorable major-league debut Aug. 2 at Pittsburgh, batting fifth and starting in left; he flied out in his first at-bat but singled in his second trip off the Bucs' Francisco Cordova for his first major-league hit; after a walk he belted his first big-league homer, a solo shot off Marc Wilkins...the next day at Three Rivers, he picked up two more hits and his second homer...Helton hit safely in his first four games in the majors (7-for-16).
• On the season he made 14 starts in the outfield (13 in left and one in right) and posted two assists...he also started seven games at first base.



1996

Helton opened his first full pro season with Double-A New Haven, but moved to Triple-A July 30, going 3-for-4 in his debut at that level...after three consecutive hitless games in early April, Todd did not go more than two straight games without a hit, including his stint in AAA...named the best defensive first baseman in the Eastern League.

1995

Helton began his pro career at Asheville (A)...after the regular season, Todd played winter ball for the Maui Stingrays.