1999 Professional Athlete of the Year

Todd Helton

Statistically, Todd Helton's 1998 season ranked among some of the greatest rookie years in baseball history. Helton, who replaced Andres Galarraga at first base for the Colorado Rockies, came out of the gates slowly, but exploded in the second half to register the third-best average in his league after the All-Star break. The first baseman finished the season leading his fellow big-league rookies in most major offensive categories, including average, homers and RBI.

In the closest balloting in 16 years, Todd Helton finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year race, despite one of the finest rookie seasons in recent memory. Helton, who also flashed a solid glove at first base, led all major league rookies in average (.315), homers (25), RBI (97), multi-game hits (49), total bases (281), slugging percentage (.530) and extra-base hits (63); among NL rookies, he was first in runs (78), hits (167), and on-base percentage (.380) and finished second in doubles (37) and walks (53). Since 1972, only Mike Piazza (35), David Justice (28) and Darryl Strawberry (26) hit more homers as a NL rookie. Selected in the first round of the 1995 June Free Agent Draft, Helton hit .254 his first year in Asheville with 15 RBI in 201 at-bats. In 1996 he opened his first full season of professional baseball with AA-New Haven where he hit.332 with 51 RBI in 319 at-bats. By late July, he proved that he was read y for the next jump and finished the year with AAA-Colorado Springs. In 1997, after starting the season in Colorado Springs where he hit .352 in 99 games with 16 homers and 88 RBI, Helton made his major league debut with the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 2. He started in left field, batting fifth at Pittsburgh. Helton flied out his first at-bat, but in his second trip to the plate, singled off the Pirates Francisco Cordova for his first hit in the majors. Then, after a walk, he hit his first major league home-run, a solo shot off Marc Wilkins.
Helton, a Knoxville, Tenn. native, was named to Baseball America's 1992 High School All America Team, hitting .655 (51-for-78) with 10 homers and 39 RBI. In June 1992, the San Diego Padres made Helton their second choice in the major league draft, but Helton opted to stay local and attend the University of Tennessee. He lettered in two sports, starting as quarterback in 1994 and as a first baseman/pitcher for the Vols baseball team. On the diamond, Helton set 19 school records and led the Vols to the 1995 College World Series. In baseball, he was named All-American for three straight years, the SEC Player of the Year, the Mizuno/Collegiate Baseball Co-National Player of the Year and MVP in the SEC Eastern Division post-season tournament.