Rookie of the Year: Tommy Helms, 1966

Third Baseman, Cincinnati Reds

Age:  25 (May 5)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’10” Weight: 165

Prior to 1966:

A North Carolina native, Helms gained early exposure to baseball as batboy for the semipro team that his father managed in Leaksville. At West Mecklenburg High School in the Charlotte area, he achieved all-city recognition in both baseball and basketball. A star shortstop he signed with the Reds right after turning 18. First assigned to Palatka of the Class D Florida State League in 1959, Helms appeared in 56 games and batted .252. Back with Palatka in 1960 he raised his batting average to .292 with 33 doubles, 5 triples, 3 home runs, and 69 RBIs. In 1961 he moved up to Topeka of the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa (better known as the Three-I) League where he hit .277 with 57 RBIs. Helms was with the Macon Peaches of the Class A South Atlantic League in 1962 where he batted .340 and teamed well defensively at shortstop with second baseman Pete Rose, his future roommate with the Reds. The next stop was San Diego of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1963 where he hit .225. Helms spent 1964 in San Diego as well and his average jumped to .309 with 25 doubles, 9 triples, and 7 home runs. He received a late-season call-up to the Reds and struck out in his lone at bat. Helms started the 1965 season with San Diego and hit .319 in 96 games. A late-season injury to star shortstop Leo Cardenas led to Helms returning to the Reds where he appeared in 21 games and batted .381. The initial plan for 1966, with Cardenas healthy again, was to play the sure-handed Helms at second base while Pete Rose shifted to third but they traded places at midseason.  

1966 Season Summary

Appeared in 138 games

3B – 113, 2B – 20, PH – 5

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 578

At Bats – 542

Runs – 72

Hits – 154

Doubles – 23

Triples – 1

Home Runs – 9

RBI – 49

Bases on Balls – 24

Int. BB – 2

Strikeouts – 31

Stolen Bases – 3

Caught Stealing – 4

Average - .284

OBP - .315

Slugging Pct. - .380

Total Bases – 206

GDP – 16 [8, tied with Ron Santo, Bill Mazeroski & Lou Johnson]

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 7 [20, tied with eleven others]

Sac Flies – 3

Midseason snapshot: HR – 6, RBI – 23, AVG – .303, OBP - .327

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) vs. Atlanta 5/24, (in 4 AB) at Philadelphia 6/9, (in 4 AB) vs. Chi. Cubs 7/27

Longest hitting streak – 11 games

Most HR, game – 1 on nine occasions

HR at home – 4

HR on road – 5

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. Houston 7/31

Pinch-hitting – 3 of 5 (.600) with 1 R

Fielding (3B)

Chances – 331

Put Outs – 110

Assists – 208

Errors – 13

DP - 16

Pct. - .961

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

NL ROY Voting:

Tommy Helms, Cin.: 12 of 20 votes, 60% share

Sonny Jackson, Hou.: 3 votes, 15% share

Tito Fuentes, SF: 2 votes, 10% share

Randy Hundley, ChiC.: 1 vote, 5% share

Larry Jaster, StL.: 1 vote, 5% share

Cleon Jones, NYM: 1 vote, 5% share

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Reds went 76-84 to finish seventh in the NL, 18 games behind the pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds were 37-46 in July when manager Don Heffner was replaced by Dave Bristol. Following a 16-3 spurt after the change at the helm, the club was 39-38 the rest of the way.  

Aftermath of ‘66:

With Pete Rose shifted to the outfield in 1967 Helms took over at second base where he was an All-Star performer until he had to fill in at shortstop for the injured Leo Cardenas. Overall he batted .274 and was solid in the field. Helms was used almost exclusively at second base in 1968, a season which he hit .288 and once again merited selection as an All-Star. Following a lesser season in 1969 in which he hit .269, he topped NL second basemen with 107 double plays in Cincinnati’s 1970 pennant-winning season while his batting average dropped to .237. Helms was a .258 hitter in 1971 while he also led league second basemen with 872 chances, 395 put outs, and 130 DPs. After the season he was traded to the Houston Astros along with 1B Lee May and utilityman Jimmy Stewart as part of a major deal in which the Reds obtained five players that included 2B Joe Morgan, RHP Jack Billingham, and OF Cesar Geronimo, who would all play key roles in Cincinnati’s future success. Helms played well for the Astros initially, batting .259 with 60 RBIs in ’72 as Houston battled the Reds for supremacy in the NL West. In 1973 he hit .287 with a career-high 61 RBIs and remained one of the NL’s better defensive second basemen. Helms batted .279 with 5 home runs and 50 RBIs in 1974 but lost his starting job to Rob Andrews in 1975 and hit just .207 in 64 games. Dealt to Pittsburgh in the offseason Helms saw action at second and third base while being utilized mostly as a pinch-hitter in 1976, batting .276 while appearing in 62 games. Sold to Oakland in the offseason, he was dealt back to the Pirates in the spring of 1977. He lasted until June as a bench player before he was released and picked up by the Boston Red Sox, who utilized him mostly as a Designated Hitter over the remainder of his last major league season. Overall for his major league career, Helms hit .269 with 1342 hits that included 223 doubles, 21 triples, and 34 home runs. He drove in 477 RBIs and scored 414 runs. With the Reds he batted .269 with 858 hits that included 145 doubles, 12 triples, and 18 home runs along with 274 RBIs. Helms was a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove recipient. Following his retirement, he coached for the Texas Rangers and the Reds, twice serving as interim manager. He later managed minor league teams. Helms was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1979 and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.   

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.