Purple Row Rockies Madness: No. 1 Todd Helton vs. No. 2 Troy Tulowitzki

Due to the cancellation of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, Purple Row is hosting our own Rockies Madness Tournament this year. We selected the 36 best players in Rockies history to determine the best player in franchise history. We sorted them into four regions to force the most interesting matchups: Infielders, Outfielders, Mile High (for relievers and starting pitchers who began their career before the humidor), and Humidor (for starters who began their career after the humidor). All stats are from Baseball Reference.

Today is the Elite 8 matchup in the Infielder Region: No. 1 Todd Helton vs. No. 2 Troy Tulowitzki

Todd Helton, First Baseman

1997-2013

Awards

• 5x All-Star (2000-2004)
• 4x Silver Slugger (2000-2003)
• 3x Gold Glove (2001, 2002, 2004)
• 2000 NL Batting Title

Notes

• “The Toddfather” is the only player to play his entire career in Purple Pinstripes and is the first player in franchise history to have his number (17) retired.
• Helton holds the Rockies club records for hits (2,159), home runs (369), doubles (592), walks (1,335), runs scores (1,401), RBI (1,406), games played (2,247), and total bases (4,292).
• He played football at the University of Tennessee and was the starter for three weeks after starter Jerry Colquitt got injured, until he suffered his own knee injury that opened the door for then-true freshman Peyton Manning.
• In a perfect tribute, Todd Helton hit his final MLB home run in his last ever game at Coors Field on September 25, 2013.

Brief Career Overview

Todd Helton was drafted in the first round, eighth overall, of the 1995 draft by the Colorado Rockies. He made his debut on August 2, 1997 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and started in left field. In his MLB debut, he went 2-for-4 with a single, a walk, and a solo home run. He spent his entire 17-year career (same as his number) with the Colorado Rockies, retiring after the 2013 season. He had his number retired on August 17, 2014 — the only player to have the honor (so far).

Troy Tulowitzki, Shortstop

2006-2015

Awards

• 5x All-Star (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015)
• 2x Gold Glove (2010, 2011)
• 2x Silver Slugger (2010, 2011)
• 3x Top 10 MVP (2009-5th, 2010-5th, 2011-8th)
• 2nd place Rookie of the Year (2007)

Notes

• Because of injuries, Tulowitzki only played three 140-game seasons.
• The now-retired shortstop has a complicated relationship with former teammate Ubaldo Jiménez.
• He’s a long-time fan of Derek Jeter (hence his decision to wear #2).
• Tulowitzki is currently an assistant coach for the University of Texas Longhorns, who would have met former-Rockie-turned-Oklahoma-State-Cowboy assistant coach Matt Holliday in Big XII play were the 2020 season not canceled.

Brief Career Overview

Troy Tulowitzki was drafted in the first round, seventh overall, of the 2005 draft. He made his major league debut on August 30, 2006 against the New York Mets. In his MLB debut, “Tulo” went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He spent ten seasons with the Rockies before ultimately being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 28, 2015 for José Reyes, Jeff Hoffman, Jesús Tinoco, and Miguel Castro. After spending three, mostly-injured, years in Toronto, Tulowitzki was released and later signed with the New York Yankees — the team he always dreamed of playing for. However, he was transferred to the 60-day IL after five games and ultimately retired from MLB on July 25, 2019.