Former Tennessee Vol Todd Helton elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
One of Tennessee baseball's best players ever is headed for baseball immortality. Todd Helton was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Monday night. The former Vol surpassed the 75% threshold of votes from the media in order to qualify for enshrinement with a 79.7% total. It was his sixth year on the ballot. First […]
One of Tennessee baseball's best players ever is headed for baseball immortality. Todd Helton was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Monday night.
The former Vol surpassed the 75% threshold of votes from the media in order to qualify for enshrinement with a 79.7% total. It was his sixth year on the ballot. First appearing in 2019, he received only 16.5% of the vote. That gradually increased to 72.2% last year, finally reaching the mark this year. He is joined by Adrian Beltre and Joe Mauer as the Class of 2024.
Helton shattered records while at the University of Tennessee. Almost three decades later, Helton still holds school records for career RBIs (238), walks (147) and saves (23). He also still holds the single season records for RBIs (92) earned run average (0.89) and saves (12). He was a big part of the Tennessee team that won the SEC tournament championship and made it to the College World Series in 1995.
Drafted by the Colorado Rockies with the 8th pick of the 1995 MLB Draft, Helton debuted in the big leagues in 1997. His first full season came in 1998 when he finished second in rookie of the year voting with 25 home runs, 97 RBIs, and a .315 batting average. His peak years came from 1999 to 2004, when he hit 30 or more home runs in each season and 109 or more RBIs each year except for 2004 (96). He was an All-Star from 2000-2004.
He finished his 17-year career Colorado with a .316 batting average with 2519 hits, 592 doubles, 369 home runs, 1401 runs scored, 1406 RBIs, and 1335 walks. The Rockies retired his #17 in 2014.
Helton, Beltre, and Mauer will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 21, 2024 in Cooperstown, New York.
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