Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley not a Hall of Famer
By David Hill
Former Philadelphia Phillies legend Chase Utley turns 39 years old today. Although he is considered to be a potential Hall of Fame player, his case is really not that strong.
There is no questioning the impact that Chase Utley made on the Philadelphia Phillies during his time in the City of Brotherly Love. He became one of the leaders of the team during their run of success in the late 2000s, establishing himself as one of the best second basemen in the game. He was a six time All Star and four time Silver Slugger, hitting for power while possessing solid speed.
Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Utley has taken on a veteran leadership role. He may not be the player he once was, but he still has a bit of pop and the experience of those playoff battles over the past decade. Now, at 39 years old and a free agent, Utley may be nearing the end of the line.
If so, the Phillies legend has had a solid career. He has produced a .276/.359/.469 batting line in his 15 year career, hitting 258 homers and 401 doubles. Utley has also been proficient on the basepaths, stealing 151 bases. His 89.791% success rate with stolen bases is second all time, just 0.121 points behind Alexi Casilla.
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Given his strong all around play, and his role with the Phillies championship teams, Utley is considered to be a potential candidate for the Hall of Fame. However, his resume does not appear strong enough to warrant consideration. Not only do his counting stats come up short, but his 1850 career hits would be amongst the lowest of any position player in the Hall.
Utley also does not score well on two tests for the Hall of Fame. He has only earned a 3 for his black ink score, far below the average Hall of Famer, which has a 27. On the gray ink side, Utley rates a 42, again, far below the average score of 144.
Surprisingly though, Utley scores well on the Hall of Fame monitor. A sure fire Hall of Famer is expected to have a 100 in that metric; Utley has managed a 94 over his career. He also ranks tenth all time on the JAWS list for second basemen, with his seven year peak WAR of 57.2 equal to that of Ryne Sandberg. Based on advanced metrics, Utley has a case for enshrinement.
However, the BBWAA, even though they have started to come around to sabermetrics, still like those counting stats. Utley, despite his brilliant peak and role as a leader for the Phillies, simply comes up short there. He was a very good player, but the Hall of Very Good does not exist.
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The Philadelphia Phillies legend may hang on the ballot for his ten years, but Chase Utley is not a Hall of Famer.