Whether Todd Helton deserves to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is certainly up for debate, but I’m here to give you my openly bias opinion. Not only are the Colorado Rockies my favorite MLB team, Todd Helton is also my favorite player going back over a decade. I believe I can present a good enough argument that even the people on the fence will agree — Todd Helton deserves a spot in Cooperstown.
First, a little history on Todd. Born in 1973 in Knoxville, Tenn., Todd was mainly exposed and influenced by what seems to be all-consuming in the South, college football. So, obviously, the University of Tennessee was his first choice for collegiate athletics, and it’s where he received a scholarship to play both baseball and football. Todd was a quarterback for Tennessee, and as many know, started in front of Peyton Manning for a short time during his junior year. Todd was drafted by the Rockies eighth overall in 1995, and since then, he’s been one of baseball’s greatest. [poll id=”26″]
Many naysayers believe Todd doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame discussion simply because he numbers are inflated due to playing in the thin air at Coors Field in Denver. To this, I say Todd is a product of his environment and still has better numbers on the road compared to some Hall of Famer’s including Tony Perez from the Big Red Machine. Todd recently got his 2,300 hit and is tied for 26th all-time in doubles. He also has over 1,200 RBIs and, even more astounding, his .324 career batting average. Then there are the awards Todd has received over his brilliant but not-yet-over career.
So, as a die-hard Rockies fan, I would obviously love to see the black and purple represented in the Hall of Fame, and who better then Todd Helton. He is a man’s man, you will not find him in a nightclub or hear about him in the news for bad behavior. His yearly salary far exceeds what most of us will make in a lifetime, but it seems to have little effect on him. He is a family man who spends his free time duck hunting or having a beer with his friends. He is simply deserving of the Hall of Fame and should not be denied. Having said that, I hope all the Dads out there had a Happy Father’s Day, especially my own, the greatest of them all (me being bias again).
