Todd Helton Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame01/23/2024 5:30 PM Article By: CCBL Public Relations Office Todd Helton (Orleans ‘94) was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday night. Helton will be the sixth Cape League alumni to be immortalized in Cooperstown, joining Jeff Bagwell (Chatham ‘87/’88), Craig Biggio (Y-D ‘86), Frank Thomas (Orleans ‘88), Carlton Fisk (Orleans ‘66), and Pie Traynor (Falmouth 1919). Helton came to Orleans following his sophomore baseball season at the University of Tennessee. During the summer of 1994, Helton hit .308 with 22 RBI for the then Orleans Cardinals. Helton was named to the Eastern Division All-Star team, scoring the only run for the East in a 6-1 loss. Helton also won the 1994 Home Run Hitting Contest. Helton, a dual-sport athlete, returned to Tennessee in the fall of 1994 and earned the opportunity to be the starting QB. Following an injury in the team’s fourth game, Helton lost the starting position to Peyton Manning. Fortunately, Helton’s baseball career continued to soar as he was honored as the National Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year in 1995. Helton was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the 1995 MLB Draft. During his 17-year career, all spent with the Rockies, Helton was a five-time MLB All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, and four-time Silver Slugger winner. Helton finished his MLB career with 369 HRs, 1,406 RBI, and a slashline of .316/.414/.539. His best season came in 2000, when he slashed .372/.463/.698 with 42 HRs and 147 RBI, winning the MLB batting title. Of the six Cape League alumni to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, three of them have played for the Orleans franchise. |