Former NL Rookie of the Year and longtime big leaguer Tommy Helms passed away today at age 83. Helms played in 14 seasons with the Reds, Astros, Pirates, and Red Sox from 1964-77, and he managed the Reds on an interim basis over 64 games during the 1988-89 seasons.
Helms broke into the Show with two games with Cincinnati during the 1964 season, and 21 more games in 1965. Mostly a shortstop in the minors, Helms was blocked at the position by Reds shortstop Leo Cardenas, and it took Helms a couple of years to settle into the second base position since the Reds were trying to find an ideal spot to place Pete Rose around the diamond. Helms ended up as the starting third baseman in 1966, and was an immediate success, hitting .284/.315/.380 over 578 plate appearances and winning the NL ROY honors. He then slid over to second base the next year when Rose was moved to left field, and Helms proceeded to hold down the keystone in Cincinnati from 1967-71.
That five-year stretch saw Helms make two All-Star teams, and win two Gold Gloves for his work at second base. However, the Reds dealt Helms to the Astros in November 1971 as part of an eight-player blockbuster that stands out as one of the most important trades in Cincinnati baseball history. The Reds’ end of the trade included future starting center fielder Cesar Geronimo, rotation stalwart Jack Billingham, and (most prominently) future Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan, arguably the best second baseman in baseball history.
Helms continued to post solid offensive and defensive numbers over his next three seasons in Houston, before his production fell off in 1975. He played in a part-time capacity with the Pirates and Red Sox in 1976-77 to wrap up his playing career. Over 1435 games and 5337 plate appearances, Helms hit .269/.300/.342 with 34 home runs and 414 runs scored.
After retiring from the field, Helms returned to Cincinnati as a coach in 1983 as an infield instructor and first base coach. He remained on the staff under three different Reds managers from 1983-89, and he twice became the interim manager due to the controversies involving his old teammate Rose, then the Reds skipper. Helms took over the dugout when Rose was suspended 30 games for shoving an umpire in 1988, and again became the interim manager when Rose accepted his lifetime ban from baseball in 1989. Helms moved on from the Reds following that season to manage in the Cubs’ farm system for a year, and he emerged to manage one final time in the independent Atlantic League in 2000-01.
We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Helms’ family (including his nephew Wes), friends, and many fans.
Tommy was the kind of guy everyone said great things about and could work a room. Reds interim manager a couple of times and longtime ciach and player. He will be missed. RIP.
I barely remember him with the Sox but a good player overall. I remember Tommy with the Reds and through All-Star Baseball. Spinning for the results. Rest in peace sir.
I vividly remember Tommy Helms. As an avid Pirate fan since 1966, the year that Mr Helms won the Rookie of the year award in the National League, I remember that he didn’t strike out a lot and was a contact hitter
My condolences to his family and the Reds organization
Statistics wise one of the worst ROY winners of all time. Still, he won it fair and square and you can’t take it from him. He accomplished more than most of us ever will. Condolences to the Helms family
More AI trash from choof, as expected.
I believe the correct pronunciation is A1.
Not a big fan of A.1. Sauce.
Not a big fan of your schtick either! Maybe this isn’t the right place to start an argument Ol’ Yorkie
@choof
I’m just imitating you. You’ve been starting it in every story. Stalker.
Nah I just like seeing what crap you’re posting. I find it funny and entertaining
@choof
Good to hear. More to come.
“future Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan, arguably the best second baseman in baseball history”
Arguably. Two questions:
1. Who – would you say – was/is better than Morgan at 2B?
2. Do you think Morgan was traded due to Harry (the Hat) Walker?
Around the same time (OK, it was 1969) Donn Clendenon refused to report to the Astros (the Rusty Staub trade) because the way Walker treated certain players.
1) You could argue Jackie Robinson was better. I wouldn’t, but you could. You could also argue Rogers Hornsby was better. That one is tough just because the game was so different for the two eras. Others are in the conversation like Robby Alomar, Ryne Sandberg, and Rod Carew.
2) Not really. It was a different time and managers were often flat out mean people. But people accepted it for the most part. Leo Durocher and Earl Weaver and Billy Martin were all people that were tough to deal with on a personal level, but they were great baseball managers. But of course it is possible. No one can really do anything but speculate at this point because almost all first hand knowledge is gone.
Someone will always argue, especially in this day and age of the angry internet warrior.
I don’t mind arguing. I have a history degree and every paper I have ever written was an argument. When there is really no 100% correct answer to a question, and the best ball player definitely qualifies, all that is left is arguing your interpretation of the facts. But I always try to do it without actual anger. Most of the time I am successful.
For question #1, Roger’s Hornsby and Nap Lajoie come to mind. They were all great. I’m not really sure those two were better, but they are in the conversation of best of all time.
Hornsby – 127.1 WAR
Lajoie – 106.9
Morgan – 100.6
Robinson – 63.9
NWAR is not a perfect measure, especially in Robinson’s case, but it is a start.
*WAR
This isn’t meant as a personal challenge; it’s just an observation. The 1940’s players and earlier didn’t face the absolute best competition day-in/day-out because of racial barriers. If all of the players of color were taken out of modern MLB there would be good white players that all of a sudden look like HoF…
It’s easy to pass blame on the past, it was much harder to change the game in the past. That is why Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey are celebrated today.
You also cannot blame the players from that era for operating under the rules at the time. By your argument, all the Negro League players would also fall short because they didn’t play against everyone.
By the way, when you account for expansion teams and extra roster spots, the total number of Caucasian players in 2024 is right around the same total number of Caucasian players every year in the 1920s and 1930s. The players of color and foreign players from today did not replace inferior players, they just expanded the league to include them.
1. I’d have to agree with hiflew. Jackie Robinson’s stats are incredible for how short his MLB career was. And although it was a different time, Hornsby’s numbers are just a hoot to ogle over on baseball reference. I’d personally say Hornsby but if we’re talking post WW2 then it’s easily Joe Morgan. Nobody else is close.
2. I would say he probably was. I’ve heard similar things and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit. Joe Morgan was an excellent 2B before Cincinnati and they traded him right as the young core started to get good. Which doesn’t make sense unless…..
“Nobody else is close.” – that is simply not true. Defensively, Ryno was.much better. And like hiflew said, in any argument about who’s best, it’s subjective. Sure, you can try to quantify it with stats (and this is not the time or place), but even then you’d have to agree on which one(s) to use.
It is true. At his peak Morgan is way better than any other 2B
Bill Mazeroski, known mostly for hitting a tie breaking homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Yankees in the 1960 World Series, won 8 Gold Gloves playing 2nd base and set the major league record for double plays in 1966
A really nice man and a family friend. Known him since high school and just talked to him a few months ago. I can’t believe he’s gone.
He was one of those unsung very good players of an era that had a lot of them.
Absolutely agree…
I got to meet him when I was a kid, hell of a nice guy, engaging. He owned a little sports bar down the road from where I grew up, man everyone loved that guy. I still remember one local TV station had a spot, or maybe it was a half hour program featuring him called At the Helm during the brief time he was manager. He could’ve been a hell of a full on manager somewhere but I don’t think he wanted to leave home.
RIP to a true baseball guy
RIP Tommy…..
Tommy Helms was a fine player and was the type that every winning team needs as a team player.
RIP Tommy Helms.
that era is my Immaculate Grid sweet spot – just used Helms there this morning for Cincy 2nd base, shoulda gone with Chico Ruiz tho
Many is the Topps I had of him, and many the game I watched him in the Dome after that ill-begotten trade
Another guy from my 1960’s baseball card collection passing away. Fantastic player and class act. Credit to any team he ever played for. RIP Tommy.
RIP
Good, steady second baseman. And, as others have pointed out, a good guy.
I have a PSA 9 mint 1977 Topps card of Tommy Helms…on the A’s! He never played an inning for Oakland. I think he went to Boston later that year.
Tha A’s got him in a second blockbuster trade he was involved in. The Pirates got Phil Garner and the A’s got a bevy of players including Mitchell Page.
The Astros were a fun team in the early 70’s with a bunch of great players.
RIP Tommy Helms.
Even today teams still undervalue intangibles like leadership when it comes to evaluating players. Astros were just another example of that.
RIP
Geez I remember him and Chico Ruiz playing for the PCL Padres as a kid. Life is very short RIP
Wes Helms dad?
Wes Helms is his nephew
1966 Rookie All Star Team. My ROY, Don Sutton. didn’t receive a single vote from the writers:
C CHC Randy Hundley
1B BOS George Scott
2B CIN Tommy Helms
3B BOS Joe Foy
SS HOU Sonny Jackson
IF SFG Tito Fuentes
LF NYM Cleon Jones
CF CHW Tommy Agee
RF PHI/CHC Adolfo Phillips
SP LAD Don Sutton
SP NYY Fritz Peterson*
SP KCA JIm Nash
SP CHC Ken Holtzman*
SP STL Larry Jaster*
RP STL Joe Hoerner*
RP WSA Dick Lines*
RP CHW Dennis Higgins
RP PHI Darold Knowles*
RP PHI/CHC Fergie Jenkens
Got to know Tommy quite well when he was the manager of the Atlantic City Surf (Atlantic League) post Mitch Williams. A true “baseball guy” with an old school approach to the game. Tommy was passionate and it showed to the players, FO and fans, even if it was the Indy league. Condolences to the family, rest in peace skip.