Tommy Helms

Born: 5/5/1941 in Charlotte, NC, USA

Died: 4/13/2025 in Cincinnati, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1964-09-23 | Final Game: 1977-10-01

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Tommy Vann Helms

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Biography

Tommy Helms was born in 1941 and enjoyed a notable Major League Baseball career from 1964 until 1977. Primarily known as a position player, Helms played in 1,435 games across his career, where he established himself as a reliable hitter and a tenacious competitor. He concluded his time in the league with a batting average of .269, amassing 1,342 hits, 34 home runs, and 477 RBIs. Helms was also recognized for his speed on the basepaths, totaling 33 stolen bases over his career. Helms's contributions to baseball were highlighted by his selection as the Rookie of the Year and the TSN Rookie Player of the Year, showcasing his immediate impact upon entering the league. He was named an All-Star twice, further solidifying his reputation as one of the solid performers of his era. Playing primarily during a time of transition in the game, Helms exemplified the balance of skill and grit, making him a respected figure in baseball history. His ability to consistently perform at the plate and in the field left a lasting impression on the teams he played for, contributing to both their successes and his legacy in the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1435	4997	414	1342	223	21	34	477	33	231	301	0.269	0.300	0.342	0.642	-6711.6

Career AVG .269 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +6.9% above league average.

Career OBP .300 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 5.4% below league average.

Career SLG .342 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.642 vs. league average 0.688 across their career seasons — 6.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1964	CIN	NL	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	CIN	NL	21	42	4	16	2	2	0	6	1	3	7	0.381	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	CIN	NL	138	542	72	154	23	1	9	49	3	24	31	0.284	.248 (+14%)	.309 (+2%)	.376 (+1%)	.685 (+1%)	83.3
1967	CIN	NL	137	497	40	136	27	4	2	35	5	24	41	0.274	.242 (+13%)	.306 (-1%)	.357 (avg)	.663 (avg)	-172.0
1968	CIN	NL	127	507	35	146	28	2	2	47	5	12	27	0.288	.236 (+22%)	.298 (+2%)	.340 (+7%)	.638 (+5%)	231.8
1969	CIN	NL	126	480	38	129	18	1	1	40	4	18	33	0.269	.248 (+8%)	.320 (-8%)	.369 (-14%)	.689 (-11%)	-1067.1
1970	CIN	NL	150	575	42	136	21	1	1	45	2	21	33	0.237	.253 (-7%)	.325 (-20%)	.385 (-27%)	.711 (-24%)	-2823.1
1971	CIN	NL	150	547	40	141	26	1	3	52	3	26	33	0.258	.249 (+3%)	.316 (-9%)	.365 (-11%)	.682 (-10%)	-1190.0
1972	HOU	NL	139	518	45	134	20	5	5	60	4	24	27	0.259	.243 (+6%)	.310 (-6%)	.353 (-2%)	.664 (-4%)	-599.9
1973	HOU	NL	146	543	44	156	28	2	4	61	1	32	21	0.287	.256 (+12%)	.325 (avg)	.378 (-3%)	.703 (-1%)	-230.2
1974	HOU	NL	137	452	32	126	21	1	5	50	5	23	27	0.279	.256 (+9%)	.324 (-4%)	.369 (-2%)	.693 (-3%)	-326.5
1975	HOU	NL	64	135	7	28	2	0	0	14	0	10	8	0.207	.257 (-19%)	.327 (-19%)	.374 (-41%)	.701 (-30%)	-699.1
1976	PIT	NL	62	87	10	24	5	1	1	13	0	10	5	0.276	.255 (+8%)	.320 (+9%)	.360 (+8%)	.681 (+9%)	131.1
1977	PIT	NL	15	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1977	BOS	AL	21	59	5	16	2	0	1	5	0	4	4	0.271	.264 (+3%)	.329 (avg)	.401 (-11%)	.730 (-6%)	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
8	29	1	7	0	0	0	0	1	2	0.241

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1970	NLCS	CIN	3	11	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.273
1970	WS	CIN	5	18	1	4	0	0	0	0	1	1	0.222

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	1129	1097	2688	3237	101	807
3B	143	126	119	238	16	20
SS	74	51	102	149	13	32

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1965	CIN	2B	1	0	1	1	0	1
1965	CIN	3B	2	0	1	0	0	0
1965	CIN	SS	8	7	15	21	1	5
1966	CIN	2B	20	20	45	50	0	9
1966	CIN	3B	113	113	110	208	13	16
1967	CIN	2B	88	86	185	224	9	50
1967	CIN	SS	46	44	79	123	12	25
1968	CIN	2B	127	125	322	370	15	82
1968	CIN	3B	1	0	0	2	0	0
1968	CIN	SS	2	0	0	0	0	0
1969	CIN	2B	125	125	320	344	17	87
1969	CIN	SS	4	0	5	3	0	2
1970	CIN	2B	148	147	350	410	13	107
1970	CIN	SS	12	0	3	2	0	0
1971	CIN	2B	149	146	395	468	9	130
1972	HOU	2B	139	139	353	441	17	115
1973	HOU	2B	145	145	325	438	9	104
1974	HOU	2B	133	130	308	360	10	99
1975	HOU	2B	42	27	58	109	2	19
1975	HOU	3B	3	1	0	0	0	0
1975	HOU	SS	1	0	0	0	0	0
1976	PIT	2B	11	6	22	19	0	4
1976	PIT	3B	22	10	8	27	3	4
1976	PIT	SS	1	0	0	0	0	0
1977	BOS	2B	1	1	4	3	0	0
1977	BOS	3B	2	2	0	1	0	0