The Case for Chase: Why the Phillies Star Deserves a Spot in Cooperstown
Today, the media will be inducting the newest class of baseball legends into the Hall-of-Fame. Ben Fenichel writes on why the standout second baseman should warrant a plaque once he become eligible in five years
Now that Chase Utley has reached retirement, buzz is growing about whether the standout second baseman deserves a plaque alongside the greatest to ever grace the diamond. With a highlight reel packed full of clutch hits and defensive gems, and stats that line up with the best, Chase Utley is one of the greatest second basemen of all time, and I’m here to tell you why.
A California native, Chase was hooked on baseball from an early age. He received exceptional coaching from a passionate father and his Little League coach Jeff Burroughs, who won the 1974 AL MVP for the Texas Rangers.
When Chase started playing baseball for Long Beach Polytechnic High School, he wasn’t the greatest player they had seen. The teenager was way too hard on himself, as one mistake on the field would quickly lead to more. Soon, however, his body began to fill out and Utley was able to move past the mental errors that defined his early amateur career, and he was named an All-American in his senior year after hitting over .500 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI. Scouts soon took notice.
Nearing the end of high school, Utley had a huge decision to make. He chose to go to college near his hometown, UCLA, to get a few more years of experience before becoming a professional. This is where he emerged as a star. He broke the record for most home runs as a freshman with 15. In his sophomore year, he was moved from shortstop to second base, and he cut his error total nearly in half. He would go on to lead UCLA to the College World Series the next two years. tearing up postseason pitching in the process, posting a .412 AVG his junior year.
Following that junior season, Utley had nothing left to prove in college, so he entered the 2000 MLB draft. First round, fifteenth pick. The Phillies got a good one.
After three years of minor league baseball in Batavia, Clearwater, and Scranton, he finally got to be an everyday player in Philadelphia. In his third at-bat, he got his first hit, a grand slam. The adrenaline-filled kid sprinted around the bases, and seemingly nothing could stop the fast-rising prospect. But it wasn’t smooth sailing from there. He finished the year only batting .239 with 2 home runs.
It took nearly another two full seasons for Utley to shine the way he would for the next ten years. He broke out by hitting .291 with 28 homers and 16 stolen bases in the 2005 season. Then in 2006, he went on a tear, batting over .400 during a 35 game hitting streak. He started for the NL All-Stars and was chosen to participate in the World Baseball Classic.
In 2007, he signed a seven-year, $86 million contract to stay in Philly. Later that year and to no surprise, he started the All-Star game for the second straight year. He was looking like the favorite for NL MVP, but rookie pitcher John Lannan of the Nationals broke his hand at the end of July, causing him to finish the year 8th place in voting for the award. The award was actually instead given to his double-play partner, shortstop Jimmy Rollins. The Phillies made it to the NLDS that year.
What was now a pattern, Utley started the 2008 season with a hot bat. He set the team record for most home runs before June, and hit his 20th on June 1st. And he’s not at all a power hitter. After a third straight All-Star game start, Chase and the Phillies began to realize that this was a special year. After rolling through the NL East in the regular season and the rest of the league in the playoffs, the Phillies found themselves in the World Series.
Every Phillies fan remembers this series, partly because of the iconic picture of Brad Lidge and Carlos Ruiz, partly because of stormy weather, and partly because of Chase Utley. Utley hit a two-run homer in the first inning of Game 1, and the Phillies never relinquished the lead. In Game 3, Utley once again gave the Phillies an early lead with an RBI groundout and later in the sixth inning hit his second bomb of the series. Philadelphia won the next two games and became “world f***ing champions”.
I don’t want to go on too long about the rest of Utley’s career, so I’ll go through it quickly. In 2009, the Phillies almost made it two straight in the World Series. He joined Reggie Jackson as the only batters to hit five home runs in a World Series before George Springer joined the club in 2017. The next five years his average hovered around .270 and he totaled 19.9 WAR. Halfway through the 2015 season, Utley was traded to the LA Dodgers for a couple of prospects. He said his goodbyes to the Phillies fans and finished his last few years in LA.
So, why does Chase Utley deserve to be a Hall-of-Famer?
Take it from legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas: he was “The Man”. Fans loved him, teammates loved him. He was a great leader, and even when he started slowing down, he became a great mentor to young teammates on the Dodgers. He had an amazing passion for the game and was one of the hardest workers in baseball.
Being a Phillies fan, I love Chase Utley. But I was only five when they won the World Series; I was too young to experience his “glory days”. But even so, as I started watching the games and hearing how people talked about him, I knew how special he was. Every time the Dodgers came to Philadelphia, the stadium swelled when Utley came up to bat.
If we compare Utley to a not-too-popular Hall-of-Fame second baseman such as Bill Mazeroski, it is clear Utley is better. Mazeroski only triple-slashed .260/.299/.367, while Utley slashed .275/.358/.465. In nearly 1,000 less at bats Chase collected over 100 more home runs, 150 more RBIs, and 350 more runs. Not to mention Utley almost doubled Mazeroski’s WAR.
Finally, let’s look at some of the top-tier Hall-of-Fame second basemen: Roberto Alomar, Craig Biggio, Rod Carew, Joe Morgan, and, of course, Jackie Robinson. Utley has more home runs than the majority of the them. His career average is right alongside these big names, at exactly .275. His WAR of 65.4 is superior considering he played for only 16 seasons while most play for about 18 or more. Another solid year or so and he would be in the 2,000 hit club. And I’m sure if he tried to steal more bases he would be in the 200–200 club. Everything points to it. He is a Hall-of-Famer.
That’s the reason my first Phillies jersey was Chase Utley’s. He’s The Man.
Ben Fenichel is a baseball — and Philly — fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter here.
