A Look Back At The Only Two Eighth Overall Selections In Colorado Rockies History
By Andrew Dill
ep 25, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton (17) prepares to take to the field before the start of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
With the Colorado Rockies selecting eighth overall for the third time in team history tonight, it’s time to reflect back and look who they took with those two picks.
1995 Draft, 1st Round, 8th Overall: The Colorado Rockies selected Todd Helton, 1B, Tennessee.
What a franchise changer that pick turned out to be. Helton ended up playing 17 seasons in the big leagues — all with the Colorado Rockies. Todd was loyal to the state of Colorado and to the fans as he remained a staple in the Rockies lineup for years.
Helton was named to five-straight All-Star games from 2000-2004 where in 2000, he hit at an eye-dropping .372/.463/.698 line with 59 doubles, 42 home runs, and 147 RBI’s – WOW. He was also first in the National League in WAR (Wins Above Replacement) for positioned players with a rating of 8.9.
Todd also went on to win four Silver Sluggers, a batting title, three gold gloves. Not to mention the hopeful future Hall Of Famer finished with 592 career doubles which places him 16th all-time.
Injuries plagued the second-half of his career where we saw his average dip down to .256 in 2010 and .238 in 2012. Helton retired last season where he hit .249 but maintained a .316 batting average throughout his illustrious 17-year career.
2007 Draft, 1st Round, 8th Overall: The Colorado Rockies selected Casey Weathers, RHP, Vanderbilt.
The Rockies drafted Weathers in hope of stabilizing their bullpen by adding a power-arm. Weathers was dominant in college — striking out over 75 batters in a span of 49.1 innings.
However, Weathers suffered a major set-back during the 2008 season where he elected to undergo Tommy John Surgery to repair his pitching elbow.
Casey would never return to form as he posted a 6.75 ERA in 20 game at High-A Modesto and a 5.32 ERA in 2011 for the Tulsa Drillers. For Tulsa, Weathers gave up 27 runs in 45.2 innings, walking 48 as he clearly couldn’t harness his command.
During the offseason in 2008, the Rockies would part ways with Weathers and third baseman Ian Stewart, shipping them to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Tyler Colvin and DJ LeMahieu.
Weathers and Chicago never worked out as he was signed by the San Francisco Giants the following season and ended up getting released this March. Weathers recently signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays on May 26th as I wish nothing but the best for him and hope he can find himself a spot on the team.