Todd Helton Weekend: A view of Coors Field on Aug. 17, 2024, at the beginning of a ceremony honoring Todd Helton, the Colorado Rockies second player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ryan Spilborghs, former teammate and current member of the Rockies TV broadcast team served as Master of Ceremonies. Seated to Spilborghs left are Todd Helton, a young man who was Helton’s honored guest, Helton’s daughters, Helton’s wife Christy, Payton Manning and Rockies CEO Dick Monfort. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Manning: NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning was a teammate with Todd Helton on the University of Tennessee football team in 1994, Helton’s last year at U of T and Manning’s first year at Tennessee. They became close friends that year, which continues today. Manning spoke of Helton as a teammate and mentor on the Tennessee football team in 1994 and their deep friendship. Manning’s speech featured photos and video from the 1994 football season. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
We are at home in Castle Rock, Colo. for a while before setting out on a Colorado trip next week. We were recently able to attend the Colorado Rockies game where the organization honored Todd Helton inducted earlier this summer into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
On a warm Saturday evening on Aug. 17, the Colorado Rockies honored their most popular player in franchise history, Todd Helton. Helton wore number 17 at first base for the Rockies for 17 seasons.
Earlier this year, Helton got the phone call he had waited for since he became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In January 2024 the Hall notified Helton that he had been elected to the prestigious group of Hall of Famers.
The members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) vote on players eligible to be inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. A player must receive a vote of 75% of those BBWAA members to be elected into the Hall of Fame.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is in Cooperstown, N.Y. The Hall of Fame is in the Plaque Gallery, which is the Crown Jewel of the Museum. Bronze plaques of all Hall of Famers hang on the walls of this prestigious gallery. Only one per cent of all Major League Baseball players are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Helton began his career with the Colorado Rockies when he was picked in the first round of the 1995 baseball draft. After two years in the Rockies Minor League system, Helton was called up to the Colorado Rockies and made his major league debut in August 1997.
Helton spent his entire 17 year major league career with the Rockies before retiring after the 2013 season. Helton is one of 58 Hall of Famers who spent their entire career with one organization.
Helton still leads the Colorado Rockies franchise in many offensive categories as well as number of games played for the organization at 2,247 games. He won the National League Batting Title in 2000 when he finished the season with a .372 average. Helton was a five time All-Star, three time Gold Glove winner, and was a four time Silver Slugger winner.
Helton was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Induction Ceremony in July of this year in Cooperstown, N.Y. The Colorado Rockies honored Helton at a ceremony prior to the Rockies game on Aug. 17 before a sold out crowd at Coors Field in Denver.
The ceremony at Coors Field was led by Ryan Spilborghs, former teammate of Helton and currently a member of the Rockies TV broadcast team. Spilborghs spoke of Helton as a teammate and Rockies player and the accolades which Helton has earned over the years. The banner on the center field wall, the large number 17 in the outfield grass, the number 17 behind home plate, and the number 17 on the deck circles are a few of the signs at the ballpark honoring Helton. The Rockies organization presented Helton with gifts and also replaced his retired number at Coors Field with a retired number as a Hall of Famer.
Helton is a Colorado sports icon and easy for Rockies fans to see why he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Greetings: After being introduced, Todd Helton greets the crowd at Coors Field on Aug. 17. Helton received a standing ovation upon being introduced and again when he completed his speech from the sold out crowd of more than 48,000 spectators at the ballpark. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Speech: Todd Helton thanks his family and friends and the Rockies organization and former teammates and the fans in Denver for supporting him during his years as a Colorado Rockies player. He spoke of the coaches and players pivotal in making him the player he was during his career. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com