By Greta Klein
Sports Editor
X: @gmklein32
From obscure baseball fields around Kansas to playing in baseball cathedrals like Kauffman Stadium and Target Field, Michael Helman made his dream of playing in the big leagues a reality.
Helman, a former Hutchinson Community College baseball player, made his Major League Baseball debut on Sept. 3, 2024, for the Minnesota Twins against the Tampa Bay Rays with a successful infield single.
“It was a pretty proud moment for me as a baseball coach,” former Blue Dragon baseball coach Ryan Schmidt said. “To see one of your players make it to the Major League is the pinnacle of achievement.”
Helman came to Hutchinson Community College to play baseball during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. During his time at HutchCC, he led the NJCAA in four major offensive categories and broke numerous Hutchinson single-season and career records. In his freshman year, Helman was first-team All-Jayhawk West Conference and All-Region 6.
Stacking onto his first Blue Dragon season, Helman received National Player of the Year for the 2017 season. He also acquired Jayhawk West Most Valuable Player, first-team all-conference and All-Region 6, along with the NBCA/Rawlings National Gold Glove winner at second base.
“If I did not play at Hutchinson Community College, I don’t know if I would have been where I am today,” Helman said. “The grind of junior college baseball and having the coaches and even my teammates pushing me to be the best version of myself both on and off the field. It was truly a blessing to have those people in my life and a part of that journey.”
Helman left HutchCC with quite a list of accomplishments that recognized his talent on the field. Schmidt saw what Helman brought to the team as a person and leader along with his abilities as a player.
“Michael being the hardest worker and being the best teammate are the intangible things that he did, but he’s also a really, really good baseball player,” Schmidt said. “There was a drive in Michael Helman that is hard to see in a lot of players. The drive to be the best, the drive to be the hardest worker. He would never lose drills, he would never lose sprints, he would never lose competitions, because that’s how he led.”
After his two years with the Blue Dragons, Helman transferred to Texas A&M to. While he was there he continued to make an impression, being named 2018 All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Tournament Team as a junior.
Then in 2018, Helman’s name was drafted by the Minnesota Twins. He was in the 11th round and the 334 overall pick. Helman became the 36th Blue Dragon baseball player chosen in the Major League Baseball Draft in June of 2018.
The dream of competing at the highest level became a reality for Helman.
“I’ve had so much incredible support,” Helman said “My time at Hutch, I am super grateful for. For that coaching staff, for all those guys, and then my parents. They’ve given up a lot for me to be able to pursue this dream of playing baseball in the major leagues. And it’s just a blessing to have that kind of support system throughout your entire career and just life in general.”
While the road was not always easy, the love of the game for Helman makes it ultimately worth it. He was traded Thursday from Minnesota to the St. Louis Cardinals.
“It’s definitely just an adjustment (going from juco to D1 to majors), but I will say it’s very difficult,” Helman said. “The talent at each level of baseball that you go through just continues to get better and better. There’s a lot of talent out there and a lot of really good players. All in all, it’s the same game. It’s just being able to adapt to better talent as you go through your career.”
Since being through the whole process, starting at juco and rising to the MLB, Helman gave one piece of advice to the current Blue Dragon baseball players.
“Just trust God’s plan for each and every one of them,” Helman said. “Continue to work and be the best version of yourself every single day. Any of the coaches and teammates that you have along the way, make sure you build the best, strongest relationships that you possibly can because those are the things that are going to last a lifetime.”
