Background
He was born in Des Moines, Iowa and attended Hoover High School.
He was born in Des Moines, Iowa and attended Hoover High School.
He previously played for the Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks. Hellickson is nicknamed "Hellboy" by local fans and media. Minor leagues Hellickson was drafted by Tampa Bay in the fourth round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.
Baseball America rated him as the 18th best prospect in all of baseball going into the 2010 season.
He was selected to play in the 2010 All-Star Futures Game and was the starting pitcher for United States. team Tampa Bay Rays On August 2, 2010, Hellickson made his major league debut against Minnesota Twins.
During his debut, he held the Twins to two runs over seven innings. He struck out six while walking two.
He was optioned back to the Triple-A Durham Bulls after the start.
He was once again recalled to the majors on August 10 to take the spot of Wade Davis in the rotation. On August 21, 2010, Hellickson was optioned to the High-A Charlotte Stone Crabs to work on moving to the bullpen. He was recalled to Tampa Bay on September 1, and made his first appearance out of the bullpen on September 4, pitching 1 and 2/3 innings giving up 2 runs.
Hellickson began the 2011 season as the Rays fifth starter.
On May 13, he threw his first complete game, earning a 3–0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He was named the Rays third starter for the 2012 season and pitched 8 2/3 shutout innings against the New York Yankees on April 8, 2012.
Hellickson was the losing pitcher in Félix Hernández"s perfect game on August 15, 2012. He still had a quality start in the game, allowing one run and five hits over seven innings to the Seattle Mariners.
Hellickson was optioned to Charlotte on August 27.
He was recalled from the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits on September 3 after the major league rosters expanded. He did not pitch for either minor league team Arizona Diamondbacks On November 14, 2014, the Rays traded Hellickson to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Andrew Velazquez and Justin Williams.
He signed a one year deal worth $4.275 million on January 16, 2015 and avoided arbitration.
Philadelphia Phillies On November 14, 2015, Hellickson was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league pitcher Sam McWilliams. On January 15, 2016, Hellickson signed a 1 year deal for $7 million avoiding arbitration.
2009 Triple-A Baseball National Championship Most Valuable Player.