Four reasons Todd Helton will make Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024 as Tennessee baseball's first

Todd Helton fell short of induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023, but 2024 could be the year the Tennessee baseball product is enshrined.

The 50-year-old Helton, who played 17 seasons with the Colorado Rockies, had a .316 career batting average and holds Rockies franchise records for games played (2,247), hits (2,519), runs (1,401), home runs (369), and RBI (1,406). The first baseman and Knoxville Central product is in his sixth year on the ballot and has seen increasing support as a candidate.

Here is the case for Helton to be voted into the Hall of Fame in 2024:

Todd Helton's 2023 support indicates he is in line for induction in 2024

Helton was 11 votes shy of induction in the 2023 class, a small figure to gain for the 2024 voting and induction. History says Helton should be in during the 2024 class based on his growing support since he joined the ballot in 2018.

In fact, Scott Rolen − the lone 2023 inductee from the Baseball Writers Association of America − followed a similar path to induction in his sixth year of eligibility. He went from 10.2% of votes in 2017 to being inducted in 2023.

Helton started with 16.5% in 2019. His support rose to 29.2% in 2020, 44.9% in 2021 and 52.0% in 2022. He received 72.2% of votes in 2023.

Closer Trever Hoffman and outfielder Vladimir Guerrero had similar percentages in their final year falling short before eventually being inducted in 2018. Hoffman received 74% and Guerrero got 71.7% before eclipsing the 75% mark.

Helton’s last year of eligibility is 2028.

Todd Helton stats away from Coors Field hold up

Helton played his home games at Coors Field, the hitter-friendly ballpark of the Rockies thanks to its location in Denver's high altitude. That likely has hurt Helton in the past, but his road numbers shouldn't be scoffed at by voters.

Helton hit .287 with 142 home runs and .855 OPS (on-base plus slugging) in road games. His numbers at Coors Field were more gaudy naturally, as he hit .345 with 227 homers with a 1.048 OPS. But it's hardly uncommon for a player to have better numbers at home than on the road − even for a Hall of Famer.

Todd Helton was never directly linked to PEDs

Helton played the prime of his career through the steroid era, which has hurt many players from the late 1990s. But it helps those who were never directly linked to PEDs or are perceived to be clean players. That helped Ken Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones, who had first-ballot resumes and were voted in as such.

Helton rests above the fray and has gotten more support than players such as Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield, who have been either suspended or linked to PED use.

Todd Helton's status among all-time first basemen says he's a Hall of Famer

Sixteen first basemen have recorded a career wins above replacement of at least 61. Helton has a 61.8 WAR, which measures a player's value added to his team above a typical player.

Nine of the players ahead of Helton are in the Hall of Fame. Two − Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera − are surefire Hall of Famers when they are on the ballot. Another − Joey Votto − probably will be. The other two ahead of Helton are Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro, both of whom are linked to PED usage.

Bottom line, Helton's WAR says he is a Hall of Fame first baseman.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Todd Helton will make Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024