Todd Helton is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played his entire playing career of 17 years for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball. During his spell with the Rockies, he played 2,247 games, was named to an All-Star five times, and Gold Glove Award Winner three times. He holds the Colorado Rockies club records for hits (2,519), home runs (369), doubles (592), walks (1,335), runs scored (1,401), runs batted in (RBIs, with 1,406), and total bases (4,292).
Helton was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on August 20, 1973. Each season from 1999-2004, he met or exceeded 320 batting average, 39 doubles, 30 home runs, 107 runs scored, 96 RBI, .577 slugging percentage, and .981 on-base plus slugging. In 2000, the six-foot-two first baseman won the batting title with a .372 average, and also led MLB with a .698 slugging percentage, 59 doubles, 147 RBI, and the National League with 216 hits.
Helton last documented salary accounts for around $5 million a year for the season 2012 and 2013. From 1992 to 2002, he was reported to have received $3 million a year from a 4-year contract worth $12 million.
His 2003 contract extension with the Colorado Rockies started to pay him a yearly compensation of close to $16 million as a salary for the next seven years. This was a 9-year contract valued at over $145 million.
Todd Helton amassed his 2,000th career hit against the Atlanta Braves on May 19, 2009, and his 2,500th against the Cincinnati Reds on September 1, 2013. SOURCE: Fox Sports/MLB The Tennessee-born baseball player's $19.1 million 2011 salary was converted into a $4.6 million signing bonus and $6 million in salary plus $13.1 million deferred with interest. In regards to the aforementioned details, Helton's 2021 net worth is estimated at around $65 million.
Sources claim, from 2014-2023, the Colorado Rockies have paid him - and will continue to pay him - $1.3 million annually with an added 3 percent interest.
Helton met his future wife Christy Bollman while both were studying at the University of Tennessee. It was a biology class when the two were sophomores in 1992. Christy used to play soccer for the Lady Vols. The couple has been pretty much together since. Helton and Christy with their daughters, Tierney Faith, and Gentry Grace reside in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Todd Helton shares two daughters with his wife, Christy Helton SOURCE: MLB/Colorado Rockies The family also can be seen spending their time in Brighton, Colorado. Helton's eldest daughter, Tierney recently graduated from Christian Academy of Knoxville, a high school in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is set to join her father's former institute, the University of Tennessee.
Helton has been arrested and accused of driving under influence on two occasions; one in 2013 and the other in 2019. The first, he was ordered to pay $400, while for the latter he entered a treatment program.
Helton played both football and baseball as a student in Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was named a Gatorade Player Of The Year for football and baseball while playing for the University of Tennessee. He appeared in 12 football games during his college career, completing 41 of 75 passes for 484 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions.
As for his collegiate baseball, he recorded a .370 batting average, with 38 home runs and 238 RBI (both school records).
Todd Helton is the fourth player in National League history to lead the NL in both batting average and RBI. SOURCE: Instagram Throughout his university career, he pitched 193 innings, registering an ERA of 2.24, with 172 strikeouts and 23 saves. He was signed by the Rockies on August 1, 1995, having previously drafted him in the first round, eighth overall, in the 1995 MLB draft.
He, though, made his major league debut on August 2, 1997, in a 6-5 road loss against the Pittsburgh Pirate. During the 1997 season, he hit .280/.337/.484 (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage), with five home runs.
The next year, he hit. 315/.380/.530, with 25 home runs and 97 RBI. In 1999, he recorded a .320 batting average, .395 on-base percentage, .587 slugging percentage, 35 home runs, and 113 RBI. That season he also scored a hit for the cycle. During the 2000 season, he became the first player in National League history and the fifth player in MLB history (along with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, and Hank Greenberg) to have at least 200 hits, 40 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 runs, 100 extra-base hits and 100 walks in one season.
His 2000 baseball campaign saw also him winning the percentage triple crown and National League Hits leader. He went on to lead the National on-base percentage leader on three occasions, 2000, 2005, and 2007. He was National League Total Base leader and National League Extra Base Hits Leader for the 2000 season.
With 103 in 200 and 105 in 2001, he is the only player in MLB history to have 100 plus extra-base hits in consecutive seasons. After hitting his 500th career double in a 4–3 home victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 22, 2009, Helton became the 50th player in MLB history to hit 500 career doubles and the fastest to do since 1954. By doing so, he joined Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, Lou Gehrig, and Ted Williams as the only players in MLB story to have at least 500 doubles, 320 home runs, and a .325 batting average for a career.
He is one of only four players in MLB history to have reached 400 total bases in consecutive seasons. Likewise, he is one of only five players in MLB history to have at least 200 hits, 40 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 runs, 100 extra-base hits, and 100 walks in one season. He is in the club of three first basemen in the MLB chronicle to have at least a .315 batting average in eight consecutive seasons.
In MLB's record of fielding percentage, Helton ranks No 8 all-time among the first baseman. He is the only player in the MLB franchise to hit 35 or more doubles in at least 10 consecutive seasons.
