There is a case for Rockies legend Todd Helton to make the Hall of Fame in 2024 finally. Here is why he is deserving of the biggest honor in baseball.
Helton is trending his way to the Hall of Fame in his sixth year on the ballot. He needs at least 75 % of the vote to be elected to Cooperstown and last year he was at 72%. Since he only had 16% of the vote in his first year on the ballot and has slowly gained traction, Rockies fans hope this is the year they get their second inductee. Here is why he deserves to be a Hall of Famer.
Todd Helton Case
Standard code Embed from Getty ImagesHelton spent seventeen years in the big leagues, all of which were spent in Colorado. He is one of the most recognized players in Rockies history, leading the club in games with 2,247 and 1,406 RBIs. Helton was also an All-Star and is one of two players in team history to be selected in five consecutive years. He was a lifetime .316 hitter who posted a .414 on-base percentage.
Helton’s #17 became the first uniform in franchise history to retire and was later joined by Larry Walker’s #33. He is a rare player who spent his whole career in one place and was the true face of the team. He is among only 18 players to bat at least .300 with 350 home runs and 1,300 RBIs. Therefore, he should be taken into consideration like the others.
A Hometown Star
Standard code Embed from Getty ImagesThere are a lot of amazing numbers, moments, and feats that Helton accomplished in his career. For instance, he hit an incredible 369 home runs and drove in 1,466 runs. There are only players who can say they did that, most are in the Hall of Fame already. He also helped the Rockies to the World Series in 2007 in a miracle season where they lost to Boston ultimately. However, many people dispute his status because he played at Coors Field his whole career. This should not take away from the amazing things he did in his career because he hit just as well on the road.
Todd Helton deserves to be the Rockies second Hall of Famer. It will also be interesting to see who else gets inducted because there are a lot of deserving players. The results for the upcoming MLB Hall of Fame class will be revealed in full on January 24th. Stay tuned for MLB stories and news.
Featured Image: Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld via Getty Images
Follow me on Twitter and check out Belly Up Sports.
