Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki Becomes 5th Player in Franchise History with 1,000 Hits

Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has been a force at the plate this season, and he celebrated a milestone on Sunday afternoon, recording the 1,000th hit of his career.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Tulowitzki is the fifth player to accumulate 1,000 hits with the Rockies, joining Todd Helton (2,519), Larry Walker (1,361), Dante Bichette (1,278) and Vinny Castilla (1,206).

Tulo is in good company in terms of slugging prowess, but the young franchise hasn't seen many key players stick around for more than seven or eight seasons. Helton, of course, is the notable exception. He played each of his 17 seasons in Denver after getting selected by the Rockies eighth overall in the 1995 MLB draft.

As the No. 7 overall pick in the 2005 draft, Tulowitzki entered professional baseball to similar expectations.

Separated by exactly 10 years and just one draft slot, Helton and Tulo are the two most important players in franchise history. Helton represents one of the few bright spots from the organization's disappointing first two decades, while the 29-year-old Tulowitzki represents hope for a brighter future.

Now in their 22nd season of existence, the Rockies have just three playoff appearances (1995, 2007, 2009) and seven winning seasons.

Things might be different this year, however, as Colorado sits at 19-14 through 33 games, with the strong record backed by an excellent plus-31 run differential.

On the other hand, things seem to be the same as ever, with the Rockies leading the National League in runs (186) and ranking second-to-last in runs allowed (155), behind only the woeful Arizona Diamondbacks (186).