Colorado Rockies Legend Todd Helton Finally Voted into Baseball Hall of Fame
Legendary Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton has finally punched his ticket to Cooperstown.
Helton received votes on 307 of the 385 ballots submitted by the Baseball Writers Association for the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024, which were revealed Tuesday night on MLB Network. That was good enough for 79.7%, exceeding the 75% required for induction.
When he debuted on the ballot back in 2019, Helton earned just 16.5% of votes. That figured grew each year until he reached 72.2% in 2023 – a mere 2.8% short of what he needed to sneak in.
Six years into his Hall of Fame campaign, Helton ultimately earned his spot alongside baseball's best.
Helton played his entire 17-year career with the Rockies, who drafted the first baseman with the No. 8 overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft.
In 2,247 games, Helton racked up 2,519 hits, 359 home runs, 592 doubles, 1,332 walks, 1,406 RBI, 1,401 runs and a 61.8 WAR – all of which are Rockies franchise records. Helton was named an All-Star five consecutive seasons from 2000 to 2004 while also reeling in four Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves, a batting title and a constant stream of NL MVP votes in that span.
Helton was a career .316 hitter with a .953 OPS when he retired in 2013, ranking second and third in Colorado history in those categories. The Rockies retired his No. 17 in 2014.
The Rockies now boast two players in the Hall of Fame: Helton and right fielder Larry Walker, who made it in 2020.
Joining Helton in the Class of 2024 are third baseman Adrian Beltre and longtime Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer. Outfielder Gary Sheffield fell just short of Cooperstown after 10 years on the ballot, meaning he will have to wait for the Contemporary Era Committee to decide his fate when they reconvene in December 2025.
One of Helton's former Rockies teammates, outfielder Matt Holliday, was eliminated from Hall of Fame contention after his first year on the ballot. He received just 1% of the vote.
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