When the results of the 2024 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame vote are announced on January 23, it’s unlikely that Long Beach’s Chase Utley will be inducted.
The former Poly Jackrabbit and six-time MLB All-Star is on the ballot for the first time this year, and for the vast majority of players, the first time is never the charm. But before his Hall of Fame window closes, Chase Utley deserves his place in Cooperstown.
Utley was first drafted in the 2nd Round of the 1997 MLB Draft as a shortstop out of Poly High. He was selected by the hometown Los Angeles Dodgers, but Utley decided to delay his professional career and attend UCLA, where he became an All-American second baseman for the Bruins.
Following his junior season, Utley was the 15th overall pick in the 2000 Draft, signing with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was invited to play in the MLB All-Star Futures Game the next year, and by 2003 he’d made his big league debut with the Phils.
He got his first start later that season, and collected his first big league hit in style. Utley cranked a grand slam against the Colorado Rockies’ Aaron Cook, making him one of only seven players to record a grand slam for his first MLB knock.
Utley spent more than two seasons waiting his turn in Philly while blocked on the depth chart by Placido Polanco. Midway through the 2005 campaign, the Phillies decided to trade their longtime keystone to make room for Utley in the starting lineup, and they were instantly rewarded.
The 26-year-old broke out for 28 home runs and 105 RBIs in 147 games played that season, posting a triple slash of .291/.376/.540 while finishing 13th in NL MVP voting.
With the starting job finally his, Utley became the best second baseman in baseball over the next decade, and among the best at any position. He made five consecutive All-Star Game appearances from 2006-10, winning four straight Silver Slugger awards and finishing in the Top 10 of MVP voting three times.
That was also a tremendously successful stretch for the Phillies, who made back-to-back World Series appearances, winning it all in 2008. Utley hit five home runs in just six games during the 2009 World Series, and would likely have won MVP if the Phillies had been able to repeat as champions.
Utley hit his peak in 2008, posting an impressive 9.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) thanks to a career-best 33 home runs, 104 RBIs, 41 doubles, and 14 stolen bases. He was also considered the best defender in all of baseball that season according to the Defensive WAR metric.
His peak was undeniable, and he reached it quickly. In his first 10 full seasons in The Show, Utley posted a WAR of 59.7, second only to sure-fire Hall of Famer Albert Pujols, as noted by Jay Jaffe in his thorough examination of Utley’s HOF candidacy for Fangraphs.
Utley was worth more than three wins in every season for a full decade, while playing with his trademark toughness and grit.
Knee problems and other injuries slowed Utley’s production during the second half of his tenure with the Phillies, though he did earn one more All-Star appearance during his age-35 season. Utley then finished his 16-year career with the Dodgers, playing three-and-a-half seasons in LA before his retirement in 2018.
The biggest knock on Utley is his lack of major awards and milestones. Though he’s a career .275 hitter, he retired just shy of 2,000 hits. He also didn’t reach 300 career home runs, but is sixth all-time in homers among second basemen. But the advanced stats–at least at the time–were a big fan of Utley’s game. Especially WAR.
Remarkably, Utley’s 64.5 career WAR is tied with the legendary Willie McCovey, and ahead of other Hall of Famers like Dave Winfield, Bob Feller, Juan Marichal, Harmon Killebrew, Vladimir Guerrero, Mike Piazza, and countless others.
Ironically, a good comp for Utley’s Hall of Fame candidacy is another second baseman out of Long Beach: Wilson High’s Bobby Grich. His peak was never quite as high as Utley’s, but Grich is undoubtedly one of the best second basemen in MLB history and remains a glaring Hall of Fame snub. Grinch ranks 96th all-time in career WAR, even higher than fellow Long Beach legend, Tony Gwynn.
Baseball writers have historically turned their nose up at sabermetrics when it comes to Hall of Fame voting, but perhaps Utley is a special case. His hard-nosed and aggressive playing style drew criticism at times, but he’s a player that “baseball people” tend to love.
He led all of baseball in hit by pitches for three consecutive seasons, was an elite defender at second base, and was also a terrific baserunner. He stole 154 bases in his career and was caught just 22 times, good for an 87.5 percent success rate.
His three seasons at UCLA plus the time spent waiting his turn in Philly may have limited his counting stats, but the fact remains: Chase Utley was a gamer, an under-appreciated superstar, and he deserves to one day be a Hall of Famer.
