Chase Utley is a household name in Philadelphia. I doubt it will be long before he is inducted into the Phillies Hall of Fame, given his 2008 teammate Cole Hamels was inducted earlier this year. However, the wait for the National Baseball Hall of Fame may be longer. The qualifications to get in are notoriously strict, with only one player in the 86 years of the hall’s existence receiving 100% of the vote: Mariano Rivera. The problems with the Hall of Fame could probably be their own article, but I’ll focus on Chase Utley for now. Here are a few reasons why Chase belongs in the Hall of Fame.
- WAR (wins above replacement)
Chase Utley finished his career with a 64.5 WAR, which is 144th all-time. If this doesn’t seem impressive, here are a list of Hall of Famers who have a lower career WAR than Utley: former NL MVP Willie McCovey, Phillies legend Richie Ashburn, Phillies legend and two time CY young winner Roy Halladay, 12 time all star Dave Winfield, member of last year’s Hall of Fame class Todd Helton, Former MVP Harmon Killebrew, And one of the greatest second basemen of all time Jackie Robinson. Utley is a standout when it comes to wins above replacement.
- JAWS
JAWS (Jaffe wins above replacement score) is a statistic developed by Fangraphs writer Jay Jaffe. JAWS groups the number of hall of famers at a position, after averaging a player’s career WAR and total war from a player 7-year peak. Utley has a 56.9 JAWS, which ranks 12th among second basemen. Of the 11 players above him, 10 of them are Hall of Famers and one is yet to be eligible for the ballot (Robinson Cano). He is also ranked above 14 Hall of Famers including 10-time gold glove winner Roberto Alomar and former MVP Joe Gordon.
- Playoff performance
Chase Utley was one of the premier playoff performers of the late 2000s. In the Phillies 2009 run to the World Series, Utley batted .429/.556/.643 with a 1.198 OPS vs the Colorado Rockies in the NLDS. However, Utley shined the most in the World Series. Utley recorded a 1.048 SLG and a 1.448 OPS. Additionally, he hit 5 home runs, which is tied for the most by one player in a World Series. The two players he is tied with? George Springer in 2017, when the Astros infamously stole signs from opposing teams, and “Mr. October” Reggie Jackson in 1977.
- Utley’s Peak
Utley’s peak was from 2005-2010 when he averaged .298/.388/.523 with a .911 OPS. He accumulated 45.5 WAR over these 6 seasons, which is more than the career WAR of three-time MVP and two-way player Shohei Ohtani! That’s right, Chase Utley accumulated more WAR in 6 seasons than one of the greatest baseball players of the modern era, who both hits and pitches.
- No Runners on Second Base
Unfortunately, second base is possibly the most undervalued position in the Hall of Fame. Second base is tied for the position with the second least hall of famers (not including designated hitters). There are 20 second basemen in the Hall of Fame, and Utley’s stats compare well to multiple of them. Chase Utley leads former MVP Nellie Fox in all major hitting stats except for total hits and batting average. He also leads another former MVP Johnny Evers in every hitting statistic except for stolen bases. He also has a higher SLG, OPS, and OPS+ than 2011 inductee Roberto Alomar.
In closing, Chase Utley will not likely be inducted in the 2025 Hall of Fame class, so we may have to wait many more years before Utley has a plaque of his own in Cooperstown. But one day, the Philly legend will prove he belongs with the greats.
