Tommy Helms, the former Cincinnati Reds All-Star infielder who later had two short stints as the team’s manager, has died. He was 83.
Helms’ death was announced by the Reds Hall of Fame in a social media post Sunday. No cause of death was given.
“We are saddened to hear of the passing of Reds Hall of Fame second baseman Tommy Helms,” the Reds Hall of Fame wrote in a post to X. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”
Helms played 14 seasons in MLB from 1964-77 for the Reds, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox.
He played his first eight seasons with the Reds and was named the 1966 National League Rookie of the Year with a .284 batting average, 23 doubles, nine home runs and 49 RBI. The following season, he earned his first of two career All-Star appearances and also won consecutive Gold Glove awards at second base during his final two seasons with the Reds.
After eight seasons in Cincinnati, Helms was traded to the Houston Astros in an eight-player swap that netted the Reds Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan, who won two World Series as a key cog in the Reds’ “Big Red Machine” era.
Helms played four seasons for the Astros, one-plus season with the Pirates and a half-season with the Red Sox before retiring in 1977. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1979.
Helms returned to the Reds organization in the 1980s as a first base coach and infielder instructor. He twice served as interim manager during the 1988 and 1989 seasons, replacing Reds legend Pete Rose, who was suspended for 30 days in 1988 for shoving an umpire before receiving a lifetime the following seasons for betting on games. He finished with a 28-36 record as Reds manager.
Helms’ nephew, Wes, played 13 seasons in MLB as a corner infielder for the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies from 1998-2011.
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