CINCINNATI — Tommy Helms, the slick-fielding infielder for the Cincinnati Reds who was the 1966 NL Rookie of the Year and had two short stints as the team's manager, died Sunday. He was 83.
The Reds Hall of Fame and Museum said Mr. Helms’ wife, Cathy, told the organization that her husband died in Cincinnati. The cause of death was not provided.
Mr. Helms was known more for his glove than his bat in 1,435 games over 14 seasons. He was an All-Star in 1967-68 and won Gold Gloves as the National League’s top-fielding second baseman in 1970-71, years in which he and shortstop Dave Concepcion formed the best double-play combination in the game.
He spent parts of the 1976 and ’77 seasons with the Pirates, batting .242 in 99 at-bats.
When the Reds signed Mr. Helms out of Charlotte, N.C., as an amateur free agent in 1959, he was thought to be the team's shortstop of the future. But while Mr. Helms was moving through the minor leagues, Leo Cárdenas was establishing himself as one of the major leagues' best shortstops.
When Mr. Helms earned a roster spot to start 1966, the Reds had him replace Pete Rose at second base and had Rose move to third. Rose couldn’t get comfortable at third, so Mr. Helms moved to the hot corner after just 20 games and became the NL’s second-leading fielding third baseman. He also had one of his best offensive years. He batted .284, and his nine homers and 72 runs were career highs.
Mr. Helms split time between short and second base in 1967 and was the full-time second baseman in 1968. He had been a fixture in the Reds’ lineup for six seasons before becoming part of the blockbuster trade with Houston that brought Joe Morgan, César Gerónimo and Jack Billingham to the Reds. Those three became key pieces to the Big Red Machine teams that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.
Mr. Helms played 417 games at second base for the Astros from 1972-74 and then had limited roles with the Astros, Pirates and Red Sox the next three seasons.
His only postseason appearance was on the 1970 Reds team that swept the Pirates in the NLCS and lost in five games to Baltimore in the World Series.
Mr. Helms became a Reds coach in 1983, first under manager Russ Nixon and then under Vern Rapp and Rose. Mr. Helms managed 27 games in 1988 while Rose was serving a 30-day suspension for making physical contact with an umpire. He managed 37 more in 1989 after commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti banned Rose for life for gambling on baseball.
Mr. Helms was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1979. He was preceded in death by sons Tommy Jr. and Ryan. Both played in the minor leagues in the early 1990s, Tommy Jr. in the Chicago Cubs organization and Ryan in the Chicago White Sox organization.
First Published: April 14, 2025, 7:28 p.m.
