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Rehab trying, boring, but Rockies' Helton enduring

By Jack Etkin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 4, 2009 at 6 a.m.

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Rockies first baseman Todd Helton isn't rushing while rehabilitating from arthroscopic back surgery. “The one thing we don’t want to have is any setbacks, so that’s why we’re taking it slow,

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Rockies first baseman Todd Helton isn't rushing while rehabilitating from arthroscopic back surgery. “The one thing we don’t want to have is any setbacks, so that’s why we’re taking it slow," he said. "I’m shooting to get ready for the season, not for spring training. That’s my goal.”

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Helton is enduring tedious rehabilitation after undergoing arthroscopic back surgery, but he realizes the end result is worth it. “I’m a long ways off right now,” he said. “But slower’s better; I mean, once I get to where I can hit and do all that stuff, I should just be able to take off. So I’m just waiting to get to that point.”

Photo by David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Helton is enduring tedious rehabilitation after undergoing arthroscopic back surgery, but he realizes the end result is worth it. “I’m a long ways off right now,” he said. “But slower’s better; I mean, once I get to where I can hit and do all that stuff, I should just be able to take off. So I’m just waiting to get to that point.”

Still a force

Among active players, Todd Helton ranks third in career batting average (.328), first in on-base percentage (.428) and third in OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages), at 1.002. He needs 43 hits to reach 2,000, 57 runs to get to 1,200 and 29 doubles for 500.

Back problems have preyed upon Helton’s swing in recent years and finally cut his season short last year. But Helton still finished with a .391 OBP. And he made pitchers work; Helton saw an average of 4.25 pitches per plate appearance, more than any Rockies player with at least 350 plate appearances. He rarely strikes out and moves runners along by grinding out productive at-bats.

But Helton has another attribute that goes beyond anything involving numbers. A healthy Helton remains a presence at the plate, someone whose next at-bat opposing managers are always aware of, particularly in late innings.

“He’s an anchor in your lineup,” general manager Dan O’Dowd said. “He allows you to build your lineup in front of him and behind him. It takes more than one player to do that with, but certainly, the middle of your lineup eventually determines whether you score runs or no. He’s an important part of the middle of our lineup.”

Todd Helton: In his own words

On a Rockies lineup without the departed Matt Holliday:

“There’s no doubt we’re going to miss Matt. He’s a heck of a baseball player and a heck of a hitter. But we got some guys coming up that are just starting to find their groove, find their place in the big leagues. ... To win, we’re going to have to pitch, play good defense — the same formula as always — but I think we’ll do that.”

On the Rockies falling to 74-88 last year after going to the World Series in 2007:

“The one thing we didn’t do last year is deal with expectations. I think we did a very poor job at that. This year, there won’t be any expectations. We’ll be right back where we’ve always been. Internally, there’ll be a lot of expectations, as always. Hopefully, we can go out and play like we did two years ago without any pressure on us, even though we know we can play with pressure because we did it two years ago.”

On why last year’s team didn’t deal with expectations:

“I don’t know, maybe because it never happened before, especially with every guy on that team. That’s over, and there’s no reason to analyze that. After we win next year, we’ll know how to handle it in 2010 and, hopefully, we’ve learned from (it) then.”

On dealing daily with back pain:

“You take (your back) for granted until you hurt it. And when you hurt it, not only do you not feel like getting out of bed in the morning, you’re in a bad mood the whole day, because you can’t do anything you want to do. And you don’t even want to do anything because (of) the pain. It was hard on me, hard on my family, because I was a miserable guy.”

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Todd Helton is inching through a very different offseason, rehabilitating from arthroscopic back surgery at a measured pace and progressing.

Major tests are well down the road. He does about 45 minutes of daily exercises, a necessity that has come with one notable cost.

“It’s killed a good hunting season; there’s no doubt about that,” said Helton, smiling. “Basically, when you get up at 5:30 or whatever to go hunt, it’s hard to work out after that.”

In past winters, Helton has opted to lift heavier weights to build strength, figuring a little added bulk would be beneficial for the regular-season grind. At times, he has gone with a vastly different strength and conditioning regimen. He had choices.

Helton could cap his workouts in previous winters with time in the batting cage. He could polish his mechanics, tinker with them if he felt like it and take as many or as few swings as he desired. The choice was his.

Such choices are gone. At this point, back exercises are Helton’s daily constant, one that by no means will just be limited to this offseason.

“It’s not that long, 45 minutes or something like that,” Helton said, “but it’s tedious, boring exercises where you kind of feel like you’re not getting anything done while you’re doing it. But in essence you are, because you’re strengthening muscles you probably never used before.”

Major leaguers have just crossed an offseason divide. The holidays are past. Spring training no longer is a speck on the horizon. Workouts are becoming more earnest, more baseball oriented, more focused on preparing for spring training.

And normally by this time, Helton would be much further along and immersed in baseball activities.

“I’m a long ways off right now,” he said. “But slower’s better; I mean, once I get to where I can hit and do all that stuff, I should just be able to take off. So I’m just waiting to get to that point.”

As for when Helton might begin to hit, he isn’t aware of a timetable. The process is what matters, strengthening his legs, so vital when it comes to maintaining a healthy back.

“It’s basically a day-to-day process,” Helton said. “The one thing we don’t want to have is any setbacks, so that’s why we’re taking it slow. I’m shooting to get ready for the season, not for spring training. That’s my goal.”

Helton, 35, is coming off a sliver of a season for the Rockies that resulted in a .264 average, seven home runs and 29 RBI. He played 81 games at first base, the last on July 2.

Signs of a setback

After more than two months of rehabilitation, Helton struck out in two September pinch-hitting appearances. The last was Sept. 14, and after that latest setback, Helton “knew in the condition I was in, I couldn’t go out and play.”

That’s something Helton always did with stunning regularity. In eight of his first 10 full seasons, he played in at least 152 games.

He never had played in fewer than 144 before last year, when the ballpark ceased being a haven and became a source of distress since, with no opportunity to play, he felt detached from the team.

“It’s hard to be around those guys when you know they’re getting ready to go play and there’s nothing you can do to help,” he said. “That was tough on me. That’s part of my motivation in getting back. I’m not going to be sitting around, not being able to contribute.”

To be sure, the thought in the morning of doing back exercises isn’t particularly enticing and, at times, could lead Helton to downright dejection, save for the long view he has taken.

“The days you wake up and (think), ‘I don’t want to do this tedious BS,’ that’s the reason you do it,” he said. “It’s something I’m going to have to do the rest of my playing career, maybe longer. But I’m willing to do it.”

Before the holidays, Helton could see Rockies teammates in the weight room at Coors Field, earnestly lifting and bent on getting stronger.

“I’m like, ‘I need to be over there doing that,’” Helton said. “But I realize that I can’t. I’ve got to take it slow.”

Slow as in two days before Christmas, Helton did rotational exercises on a large ball for the first time since he underwent arthroscopic back surgery Sept. 30.

Dr. Robert Watkins, considered one of the foremost back specialists, performed surgery in Marina del Rey, Calif., to remove the pressure a bulging disk in Helton’s lower back was putting on a nerve, creating pain and numbness in his left leg.

“I had tried to come back twice, and I knew that the state I was in, I wasn’t going to be a good baseball player if I didn’t do something,” Helton said.

“To me, there was no choice. I think mentally, I needed it to get done, and physically. He looked at me for five minutes and said, ‘You need surgery.’ Just reading his body language, there was no doubt in his mind. I asked him, ‘Could I still go out and play?’ He said, ‘Yeah, you might. But this has a 98 percent success rate if you follow my plan.’ That’s what I’ve done.”

Helton played through back and hamstring problems for nearly four years, never connecting the two until last summer.

Swing and a miss

He “felt great” in spring training last year and was confident of his power. But soon after the start of the season, the left-handed-hitting Helton said his left leg gradually became a problem, resulting in damage to the foundation of his swing.

“I couldn’t get anything out of my left leg,” Helton said. “I knew I was sliding forward (while swinging) and I could feel it, but I just couldn’t stay back on that back leg to hit. And if I did try to sit back on it and drive the ball, it started to become pretty painful.”

On June 13 in Chicago, Helton recalled taking one swing in the first game of a series against the White Sox and realizing “something was really, really wrong.”

Helton took a .297 average into the series with the White Sox. Despite the memorable swing that shot pain through his lower back and down his left leg, Helton soldiered on. He played 16 of the next 18 games, going 8-for-55 with three doubles and three RBI and, most uncharacteristically, 13 strikeouts before finally leaving the lineup.

“I haven’t really pulled my weight the last couple years,” said Helton, who hit .302 with 15 homers and 81 RBI in 2006 and .320-17-91 in 2007, seasons many major leaguers would accept in a heartbeat. “I could give you some excuses or whatever, but the bottom line is, I’ve got to get it done, regardless of my back.

“Regardless of any other aches and pains I’m going to suffer throughout a season, I’ve got to be able to find a way to get the job done. And, hopefully, what I’m doing now will translate over and make me be able to have a productive season again.”

What’s productive these days, given that Coors Field plays differently since the introduction of a humidor in 2002 and age and back problems have taken a toll on Helton?

“I should be able to drive in a hundred runs,” he said. “Basically, that’s all that matters, is driving in runs and scoring runs.”

After Helton’s travail last season and subsequent surgery, manager Clint Hurdle said quality, not quantity, is the objective and, hence, Helton will play fewer games in 2009. Hurdle didn’t specify a number. For his part, Helton isn’t objecting to his manager’s less-is-more plan.

“It’d be better than the 60-something I played last year,” Helton said. “I’m still going to definitely push myself to go out there and play every day. But I’m also going to listen to my body and make sure I’m ready to play.”

Comments

  • January 4, 2009

    8:09 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    robo5555 writes:

    Helton's production next season will minimize Holiday's departure. No preassure Todd!! He is still feared by pitchers....and watch out if he is healthy. I think we will compete in the NL west next season. Having him back 100% is a major pick up for the team.

  • January 4, 2009

    8:46 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    avsfan71085 writes:

    Pssh yeah i'd "endure" rehab for 20 million a year too Todd. Just get on the field, I love you for the player you are but I feel you should give some money back to help the team.

  • January 5, 2009

    7:45 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    The_KIMN_Chicken writes:

    I don't think he's feared much at all but we'll see. He seems more to me to be an anchor on the payroll at this point.

  • January 5, 2009

    8:23 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    The_Man writes:

    Helton just isn't the same player without those steroids.

  • January 5, 2009

    9:03 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    dgocoman writes:

    Love the attitude, but the reality is that Todd is just one swing away from the DL. Power hitters and bad backs are not a good combination; this is even more reason the Rockies need to keep Atkins as he will be playing 1st base quite a bit this season.

  • January 5, 2009

    11:25 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    kmeissner writes:

    avsfan71085 even if Helton gave up some of that huge salary he gets to help the team, the Monforts and O'Dowd will spend it on themselves and get us some scrubs that no one else wants.

    Hopefully Helton is healthy this season! We need him to be now that they let Holliday go. GO ROX!

  • January 5, 2009

    2:30 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mkcampin2 writes:

    TODD HELTON IS ONE OF THE BEST HITTERS IN THE MAJORS EVER.
    JUST LOOK AT HIS CAREER NUMBERS ..UNBELEIVABLE.

    .575 CAREER SLUGGING % .430 CAREER ON BASE % .328 AVG.

    NOT TO MENTION HIS CAREER FIELDING %.
    HE IS A PROFESSIONAL HITTER.

    TODD, HAVE A MONSTER YEAR IN 2009

  • January 5, 2009

    6:27 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Colorado4ever writes:

    Helton has earned his money through leadership (getting the kids through to the World FREAKIN' Series last year), past performance, WORK ETHIC, and with Baylor coming back as hitting instructor look out...

    I think he's going to surprise everyone and be Comeback Player of the Year this year. He's a great roll model and face of the franchise in his thirties still!

    As for the steroid comment, that's quite a charge to make, how about the humidor and his age bringing down his power and he's not a really big guy like some power hitters are?

  • January 6, 2009

    5:52 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    lsider writes:

    his rehab is boring? wow that's a newsflash. and it's hard omg you don't say? him and k-mart should both have a portion of their salaries repo'd. helton is a good player but he's a perfect example of why baseball's system should be more like the nfl. they need a salary cap and the franchise player tag that way we wouldn't have to either drastically overpay or just flat out lose home grown players like helton and holiday.

  • January 6, 2009

    3:14 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    arvada_mark writes:

    The Brothers Monfort have proved time & time again they WILL NOT PUT MONEY BACK INTO THE TEAM. They have aparently decided this team is good to go as is. They said it, "Mediocraty is the goal." So spending money on free agent talent is not how they like to do things. So we're left hoping guys that either can't or won't find the strike zone will lead us to a division title. We're left hoping our batting line-up improves without our leadoff hitter who is all but assured of having a better year & our team leader/our team bad a$$. Helton better play every day this year. We already have a huge hole in our line-up without Holliday. Take Helton out of there & we'll be longing for the days of Neifi Perez' hitting prowess.

    Say what you want about Helton, it's just an opinion. I have facts to back my claim. Helton is the best 1st baseman of the entire past 10 years (I say entire because Pujols hasn't been around that long). Batting average? Helton leads. Fielding percentage? Helton leads. Games played? Helton leads (who has injury problems?). The guy needs about a month's worth of games to reach 6000 career at bats. He needs just over 40 hits to reach 2000 for his career (only has just over 800 Ks, also). He should get to 1100 career walks this year. He should also get to 1200 runs scored this year. 85 RBIs this year gets him over 1200 for his career. Oh, and a full season by H should also get him to 500 career doubles. So, if you are going to bag on a player, bag on a guy that isn't going to Cooperstown. Why don't you bag on the Brothers Monfort for putting such a dissapointing product on the field year after year.

    Support the Rox this year, go to a game, go to several games...in Pheonix or L.A though. Or support them from your couch. Coors has been my summer home for many years now. I'm going to miss it this year. And maybe next, it's all up to the Brothers Monfort. I know the $2K I spend on the Rox every year ultimately won't be missed, but it's all I can do. Maybe the Monfort kids (Cousins Monfort, maybe???) will want to win when they get the team. This whole thing has me thinking about how my old man used to take me & my brother out to old Mile High 3 or 4 nights a week to watch the Bears. He was a school teacher, so it worked out great for us. Good times.

    The Broncos finished with a .500 record, they made changes because they weren't competing for titles. The Nuggets have made major salary cuts this season, yet they are still winning. It can be done if it's done the right way.

  • January 6, 2009

    5:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Colorado4ever writes:

    Wow Arvada, if the Broncos are the barometer you should be happy with the Rox! They've won more playoff games in the last 2 years than the Broncos have won in a decade...The Rox were essentially 7-9 last year in football terms, about the same as the Broncos and they didn't lose to the Raiders at home and to the Bills in a MUST WIN GAME. The Rox were essentially 10-6 and WENT TO THE SUPERBOWL the year before, HELLO!!!

    Not sure where you are going with your comments on Helton, you are right, he's been a helluva player and can still be.

    Holliday had to go or the REST OF THE NUCLEUS BLOWS UP and I'd rather keep GOOD GUYS that have come up in the system (the list is LONG and I won't list them all here but look at their current roster). Compare what we get for the price of Atkins and Hawpe versus $25M/YR for ONE PLAYER in Holiday (who was great but is he THAT great??? I think they should have kept Holiday for one last blast but if they'd have lost him without getting anything/much in a "trade or get nothing" scenario I'll take what they did.)

    How come the crybabies who claim the Rox never spend money won't write in that they just added $5M to the payroll today with a pitcher that has a PROVEN track record in Marquis???

    We now have rotation depth we have NEVER had and if you can't get excited about the top 4 (Cook, Francis, Ubaldo and Marquis- ALL capable of winning 12-18 games this year- We've NEVER been able to say that) PLUS the depth at the next four possible rotation spots- injuries will factor in as they do for every team so having Morales, Smith, De La Rosa and Hirsch is HUGE!

    Stay home fake Rox fans, when they get back to the playoffs you can come storming back. They are going to be solid this year- I'm out on a limb here to say they win 92 reg season games and the WEST!

    Go Rox and keep bringing up young talent to add to the other free agency pieces!!!