"Brad Hawpe has a head too small and a heart three sizes too big. He is the Rockies' best player this season, primed for his first all-star berth, but you'd never know it. That's because all he cares about is winning and helping teammates. He's weird like that. "When it all comes down to it, you want a guy who has your back and shows up ready to play," said Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, Hawpe's role model. "Brad always does that." Talk to Hawpe for a while, and you wonder if the interview should be aired in black and white. With a projector. Hawpe is simple in his life, old school in his values.

Heck, he is 30, pulling down a $5.5 million salary this season, hitting a ridiculous .397 with

runners in scoring position, and he still drives the Ford F-250 he bought his rookie year when he was making $300,000. "I am not a guy that changes much," the right fielder said. "My wife gives me a hard time about it. If I find something I like, I stick with it." Hawpe remains the same person, but he has undergone a quiet transformation in the clubhouse and in the batter's box. He ranks in the National League's top five in average, RBIs and slugging percentage. When Hawpe joined the Rockies in 2004, his minor-league home runs were the stuff of legend, painting him as a purple-clad Paul Bunyan. Yet, he showed respect to veterans, not only listening to them, but learning. Former catcher Todd Greene became a lighthouse for Hawpe, their conversations helping shape the leader he has become. Greene talked about Hawpe like a proud father. "He gets it," Greene said. "He does things the right way." Ask manager Jim Tracy who his players should emulate, and the answer never changes: "All they have to do is watch our first baseman and right fielder." What Hawpe gleaned from Greene is how to help without being condescending. He's constantly talking with young outfielders Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez and Seth Smith. "When guys first come up, you have to tell them things that sometimes they don't want to hear. But you do it with respect," Hawpe said. "They understand that you care, that you just want them to get better." Hawpe's tips vary. With Fowler, he has talked with him about his left-handed swing. Hawpe helps position Gonzalez defensively, particularly since he knows the hitters better than anyone else in the outfield. And Hawpe constantly encourages Smith."