In the closest balloting in team history, Todd Helton edged Gary Sheffield for Gulf Coast Hurricane Team MVP for the 2001 season. Helton led all regulars in batting average at .331, hits with 202, runs scored with 122, doubles with a league and team record 61, hit by pitches with 10, and RBI with 128. It marked the 3rd straight year that he has topped the 25 home run and 100 RBI marks as a Hurricane.
Sheffield had a tremendous offensive season as well, finishing up 2001 with a .304 batting average, a team leading 40 home runs, 107 RBI and a team leading 102 walks. The choice between the two came down to the fact that Helton plays almost every day, 157 games out of the 160 game season, and played outstanding defense, committing just 4 errors all season long for a .996 fielding percentage.
Both players had solid offensive seasons for their Major League teams and look to be a big part of the offense for Gulf Coast in 2002. The rumor mill has it though that Sheffield might be on the trading block, with the expansion draft looming on the horizon. Fact...or Fiction? |
