Who Has Former Rockies Slugger Todd Helton Become?

There was a time when Todd Helton's power numbers could make Rockie fans forget who their original first baseman was. There was a time when Todd Helton was a 40-home run hitter, nearly reviving the Blake Street Bombers. There was a time when 30 home runs was the least Todd Helton would produce.

Now, not so much. As Purple Row pointed out earlier in the year, Todd Helton has completely remade himself into a contact hitter with amazing bat control. Witness a 30 walk/11 strikeout ratio on the year. That impressive ratio is better than any other hitter in baseball, better than even Barry Bonds. As a result, Helton has the second highest batting average in baseball at .383, and the 5th best OPS in the game at 1.059 -- not bad for a guy who only has four home runs.

Helton's and all other Rockie offensive numbers were met with skepticism due to the Coors Field effect. Now, it's hard to make such an argument; Coors Field is averaging 1.29 home runs per game, which is sixth lowest in the major leagues. In fact, Helton only has one home run in 17 home games this year. Todd credits a new focus on maintaining a balanced diet and exercise routine as a big reason for his new success. Whatever the reason is for Helton's makeover as a hitter, you should take notice. We haven't seen this type of bat control and hitting superiority since Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs.