The question was simple enough. The answer was an indictment of his play last season.
Before taking off for spring training Monday, Todd Helton was asked if he still was capable of producing the monster statistics that have made him an icon to Rockies fans and rotisserie league owners.
“Last year was just tough. I wasn’t coming through when I needed to, I wasn’t getting the big hits,” Helton said. “I am going to have a good season. I don’t have a choice. I have to be better.”
Helton, 32, labored through 2005, superstardom painfully slipping away. He posted career lows in home runs (20), RBIs (79) and was absent from the all-star team for the first time since 1999.
Helton refused to make excuses or point fingers at the stripped-down lineup around him. Truth is – one Helton reluctantly acknowledged recently – is he lost his way, if not his bearings, a few days before the season began.
He injured his back performing squats. So, after a successful spring training, he began the season in a swift decline, caught in a classic trap. Because he was hurt, he struggled to handle certain pitches, particularly on the outer half of the plate. As he slumped, he lost confidence.
Wherever he went, voices and doubt followed. He tried several slight adjustments to his stance, even going up to the plate once wearing only one batting glove, hoping to change his luck. He failed to hit .300 in April, May or June, significant given he had never batted less than .300 in consecutive months in his career.
Teammates knew he was hurting, but most figured it was just a balky wrist.
“There is no other reason in my opinion that he would slump unless he was injured,” outfielder Matt Holliday said. “As competitive as Todd is, he didn’t want to give in to any weakness.”
No one has ever questioned Helton’s toughness. But the statistical nose dive affected Helton’s leadership.
“It’s hard to speak up when you are not playing too well,” Helton said. “I wasn’t getting things done that I needed to get done.”
After rescuing his season with a .387 average after July 1, Helton spent this offseason strengthening his legs and increasing his flexibility with a new exercise regimen aimed at easing the strain on his back. He called recent surgery to remove bone chips in his non-throwing elbow, “absolutely no big deal.”
Eager for a fast start, Helton recently spent a weekend in Phoenix working with his former college coach to refine his swing.
“There is not a doubt in my mind that he will show up on offense for us in a big way,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “This is probably as good a club as he’s had a chance to be on in a long time. He wants to be part of it.”
A known skeptic – no surprise for someone whose Rockies teams have spent just 243 days over .500 in his eight-plus seasons – Helton sounds revitalized. He believes he will rebound, and help the team do so, too.
“I know other teams aren’t expecting anything from us, but I really think we have a chance,” Helton said. “We can’t be just thinking .500. It’s time we set our sights a little higher.”
