Tommy Vann Helms is a former
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player and
managerIn baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
. Over a fourteen year career ( - ), Helms played for four different teams, including eight seasons with the
Cincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, four with the
Houston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
, and one apiece with the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and
Boston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. He also managed the Cincinnati Reds for part of two seasons ( - ).
MLB career
Though he appeared briefly with the Reds in 1964 and in on September 1 during a double header Helms goes 4-4 with two triples. Helms' first full season in the majors was . A natural
shortstopShortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
, Helms was moved to
third baseA third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
by the Reds his rookie season with
Leo CardenasLeonardo Lazaro Cárdenas Alfonso was a prominent shortstop in American Major League Baseball for 16 years...
firmly entrenched at short. Helms clubbed nine
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, batted .284, and provided sparkling defense at his new position to earn the 1966
National LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Rookie of the YearIn Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
.
In , the Reds shuffled their line-up—moving budding superstar
Tony PérezAtanasio Pérez Rigal , more commonly known as Tony Pérez, is a former Major League Baseball player. He was also known by the nickname "Big Dog," "Big Doggie," and "Doggie."...
to third, Helms to second, and shifting
Pete RosePeter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
from second base to
left fieldIn baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
. As a
second basemanSecond base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
, Helms was a member of the National League All Star Team in and , and won the National League Gold Glove award in and . The Reds moved to Riverfront Stadium in June, 1970, and Helms hit the first Cincinnati Reds home run on July 1. During his Gold Glove season of 1971, Helms set a Cincinnati Reds record with turning 130 double plays, which still stood at the close of the 2009 baseball season.
On November 29, 1971, Helms was part of a blockbuster trade that brought
Joe MorganJoe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...
,
Cesar GeronimoCésar Francisco Gerónimo Zorrilla , known as César Gerónimo, is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball, who was a member of the famed Big Red Machine of the Cincinnati Reds during the 1970s. He batted and threw left-handed....
,
Ed ArmbristerEdison Rosanda "Ed" Armbrister is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who had a five-year career from 1973 through 1977 with the Cincinnati Reds...
and
Jack BillinghamJohn Eugene Billingham is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Houston Astros , Cincinnati Reds , Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox...
from the Houston Astros for Helms,
Lee MayLee Andrew May is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. From through , May played for the Cincinnati Reds , Houston Astros , Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals . He batted and threw right-handed. He is the brother of former Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees outfielder...
and
Jimmy StewartJames Franklin Stewart is a former Major League Baseball player for the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Houston Astros from –....
. After four seasons in Houston, Helms was traded to the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
prior to the start of the season. He was purchased by the Oakland A's following the season, and actually traded back to the Pirates, along with
Chris BattonChristopher Sean Batton is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played part of one season in Major League Baseball in 1976 for the Oakland Athletics....
and
Phil GarnerPhilip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...
for
Tony ArmasAntonio Rafael Armas Machado is a former Venezuelan professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He was one of the top sluggers in the American League in the early 1980s. Twice Armas led the league in home runs, and led all of Major League Baseball in RBIs in...
,
Doug BairCharles Douglas Bair is a right-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of fifteen seasons in the majors, from until , for seven different teams...
,
Dave GiustiDavid John Giusti, Jr., is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1962 to 1977....
,
Rick LangfordJames Rick Langford , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1976-1986...
,
Doc MedichGeorge Francis "Doc" Medich in Aliquippa, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1972-1982...
and
Mitchell PageMitchell Otis Page is a former Major League Baseball player. He finished second to Hall of Famer Eddie Murray in American League Rookie of the Year balloting when he came up with the Oakland Athletics in .-Early years:...
during
Spring trainingIn Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
the following season.
Shortly after reacquiring him, the Pirates released Helms. He signed with the Boston Red Sox for the remainder of the 1977 season, serving primarily as a
designated hitterIn baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
before calling it a career. During his fourteen years in a major league uniform, Helms struck only 301 times in almost 5,000 at bats. Former Cincinnati Reds closer
Clay CarrollClay Palmer Carroll is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1964 to 1978. He pitched for the Milwaukee Braves & Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, St...
was once asked, "Who would you want at second base when the game was on line?" He promptly responded, "Two words, Tommy Helms."
Managerial career
Helms served on Pete Rose's coaching staff when he was named manager of the Reds in . On April 30, , during a home game against the
New York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, and following a call by
umpireIn baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
Dave PalloneDavid Michael Pallone is a former Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the National League from to . During Pallone's career, he wore uniform number 26.-Umpiring career:...
which allowed the Mets' eventual winning run to score in the 6-5 game, Rose argued vehemently and made physical contact with the umpire, noticeably pushing him. Rose claimed that Pallone had scratched him in the face during the argument, which provoked the push. Regardless, National League president
A. Bartlett GiamattiAngelo Bartlett "Bart" Giamatti was the president of Yale University and later the seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Giamatti negotiated the agreement that terminated the Pete Rose betting scandal by permitting Rose to voluntarily withdraw from the sport, avoiding further...
suspended Rose for 30 days. Helms served as manager of the Reds during Rose's suspension and led the team to a 12-15 record.
On August 24, 1989, following accusations that he had gambled on baseball, Rose voluntarily accepted a permanent place on baseball’s ineligible list, and Helms again replaced Rose as Reds manager. The Reds went 16-21 under Helms. He was replaced at the end of the season by
Lou PiniellaLouis Victor Piniella is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He has been nicknamed "Sweet Lou," both for his swing as a major league hitter and, facetiously, to describe his demeanor as a player and manager...
.
External links