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.