What is Todd Helton's Net Worth and Salary?
Todd Helton is a former American professional baseball player who has a net worth of $75 million. Todd Helton played his entire 17-year MLB career with the Colorado Rockies from 1997 to 2013. A powerful hitter, he won four consecutive Silver Slugger Awards as well as the 2000 NL batting championship. Helton also claimed three Gold Glove Awards, and set Rockies franchise records for hits, home runs, and RBI, among many other categories. As we detail in the next section below, Todd famously earned millions of dollars in retirement thanks to a contract he signed towards the end of his career thanks to Bobby Bonilla-style contract deferments.
Todd currently holds the following club records for:
- Hits (2,356)
- Home runs (347)
- Doubles (553)
- Walks (1,252)
- Runs scored (1,327)
- RBIs (1,305)
- On-base percentage (.422)
- Games played (2,043)
- Total bases (4,020)
Contracts & Career Earnings
During his MLB career, Todd Helton earned $161 million in salary. His highest-earning season was 2011, when he earned $20 million from the Rockies. At the time of his retirement he was one 15 highest-paid players in baseball history in terms of career earnings.
Toward the end of his career, Helton agreed to a two-year, $38 million contract extension with the Rockies. He deferred $13 million of that money, plus 3% interest, to after his retirement. That means he made a little more than $1.3 million every season in the decade after his retirement.
Early Life and High School
Todd Helton was born on August 20, 1973 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He attended Central High School, where he lettered in both baseball and football. As a senior on the baseball team, Helton batted .655 with 12 home runs and was named Regional Player of the Year. Although he was drafted out of high school by the San Diego Padres in the 1992 MLB draft, he elected to go to college instead.
University of Tennessee
Helton went to the University of Tennessee on an athletic scholarship to play both baseball and football. As a quarterback on the Volunteers football team, he recorded 484 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions in a total of 12 games. Meanwhile, in baseball, Helton finished his collegiate career with a .370 batting average and school records of 38 home runs and 238 RBI. He also pitched 193 innings, posting a 2.24 ERA. For his junior season in 1995, Helton was awarded the Dick Howser Trophy as the best collegiate baseball player in the nation.
Minor League Career
In the 1995 MLB draft, Helton was chosen in the first round with the eighth overall pick by the Colorado Rockies. He spent the subsequent two years in the minors, playing for the Asheville Tourists, New Haven Ravens, and Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
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Colorado Rockies, 1997-2006
Helton was called up to the majors in 1997. He made his MLB debut for the Rockies in an early August road loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Helton finished the season with a .280 batting average and five home runs in 35 games. For the 1998 season, he became both the Rockies' full-time starter and their club representative. That season, Helton batted .315 with 25 home runs and 97 RBI in 152 games. He performed even better in 1999, batting .320 with 35 home runs and 113 RBI, and hitting for the cycle in a June win over the Florida Marlins. Helton went on to have arguably his greatest career season in 2000, when he led the majors in numerous categories including batting average (.372) and RBI (147). For his season, he won the NL batting title, the Hank Aaron Award, and his first Silver Slugger Award.
Helton continued his incredible success from 2001 to 2004, winning three more consecutive Silver Sluggers, as well as three Gold Glove Awards. In the 2001 season, he recorded a career-high 49 home runs, and in 2002 became the first-ever Rockies player to score at least 100 runs in four consecutive seasons. Helton narrowly finished in second place for the NL batting title in both 2003 and 2004, losing out to Albert Pujols and Barry Bonds, respectively. Following many years of success, Helton had his first disappointing season in 2005 due to a calf injury. He finished the season with a .320 batting average, 20 home runs, and 79 RBI. Helton was plagued by injury again in 2006, resulting in a .302 batting average with 15 home runs and 81 RBI for the season.
Colorado Rockies, 2007-2013
In the 2007 season, Helton recorded his ninth consecutive season with a batting average above .300. He also managed 17 home runs and 91 RBI, and became the first player to record 300 home runs for the Rockies. The team went on to clinch the NL wild card in an extra-innings victory over the Padres, sending Helton to the playoffs for the first time in his career. In the NLDS, the Rockies swept the Philadelphia Phillies, and in the NLCS proceeded to sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks. As a result, the Rockies advanced to their first World Series in franchise history. In the tournament, the team was swept by the Boston Red Sox. The next season, Helton was diagnosed with a degenerative back condition that cast doubt on his continued ability to play. He managed to keep going, and in 2009 recorded his 500th career double.
Helton signed a two-year contract extension with the Rockies in 2010. However, that year, his back condition sent him to the disabled list, and he finished the season with a .256 batting average, eight home runs, and 37 RBI. Although rumors of his possible retirement were floated, Helton returned in 2011 and played his 2,000th career game. After having a season-ending hip surgery in 2012, he returned in better shape for the 2013 season, during which he recorded 15 home runs and 61 RBI in 124 games. Helton retired after the end of the season, hitting a home run and driving in three runs in his final game at Coors Field. He finished his 17-year career with the Rockies having set numerous franchise records, including for hits (2,519), home runs (369), RBI (1,406), and games played (2,247).
Post-playing Career
In 2022, Helton returned to the Rockies organization to become a special assistant to the general manager. He joined Vinny Castilla and Clint Hurdle in the role.
Personal Life & Real Estate
With his wife Christy, Helton has two daughters. The family previously lived in Brighton, Colorado before moving to Helton's hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee in 2018.
In 2016 Todd paid $2.8 million for a 14-acre estate in Knoxville, Tennessee. The estate features a 9,600 square foot mansion with 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. Todd listed this home for sale in November 2023 for $5.5 million.
