JAWS and the 2024 Corridor of Fame Poll: Chase Utley

The next article is a part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing take a look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2024 Corridor of Fame poll. For an in depth introduction to this 12 months’s poll, and different candidates within the collection, use the device above; an introduction to JAWS might be discovered right here. For a tentative schedule and an opportunity to fill out a Corridor of Fame poll for our crowdsourcing challenge, see right here. All WAR figures check with the Baseball-Reference model except in any other case indicated.

When the Phillies returned to competition following a slide into irrelevance within the wake of their 1993 NL pennant, shortstop Jimmy Rollins, first baseman Ryan Howard, and lefty Cole Hamels gained a lot of the consideration. Howard all however ran Jim Thome out of city after the latter was injured in 2005, then mashed a significant league-high 58 homers in ’06 en path to NL MVP honors. Rollins, the emotional heart of the group, carried himself with a swagger and declared the Phillies “the group to beat” on the outset of 2007, then gained the MVP award when the group adopted by way of with a division title. Hamels debuted in 2006 and have become their ace whereas making his first All-Star group the following season. In the course of all that, as a part of the nucleus that might assist the Phillies win 5 straight NL East titles from 2007–11, with a championship in ’08 and one other pennant in ’09, Chase Utley was nearly as good or higher than any of them, although the second baseman hardly known as consideration to himself.

Certainly, Utley appeared to shun the highlight, enjoying the sport with a quiet depth that bordered on asceticism. He sped across the bases after hitting dwelling runs, then reluctantly accepted high-fives within the dugout. “I am having enjoyable,” he instructed the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Andy Martino in 2009. “Once I’m on the baseball discipline, that’s the place I like to be. I’m not joking round and smiling. That competitors, that heat-of-the-battle depth, that’s how I’ve enjoyable.”

As a hitter, Utley had a compact and highly effective stroke that impressed everybody from essentially the most grizzled of baseball males to budding superstars. From the Philadelphia Every day Information‘ Paul Hagen in 2008:

“At instances he can put near what you’d name an ideal swing on the ball,” Phillies supervisor/hitting guru Charlie Manuel mentioned. “It’s good steadiness, rhythm, load, and on the identical time getting a ball that you just’d wish to hit. And simply, very slight, beneath the middle of the ball.

“He’s a really fashionable hitter. He’s man to speak about as a result of, in case you watch him day in and time out and take a look at him from a mechanics standpoint, he could be an incredible man to make use of as an illustration for younger youngsters.”

Forty miles away from Philadelphia, in Millville, New Jersey, a younger Mike Trout patterned his swing after Utley, his favourite participant. However hitting was solely one among Utley’s expertise. Because of his off-the-charts baseball instincts — delicate issues like his secondary leads whereas operating the bases and his knack for positioning within the discipline, which John Dewan identified in a 2009 Hardball Instances piece — in addition to his foot velocity and vary, he was an distinctive baserunner and defender. His all-around expertise confirmed up in WAR; he outproduced Howard and Rollins of their MVP-winning years, and nearly all people else throughout his heyday. His 59.7 WAR from 2005–14 trailed solely Albert Pujols‘ 67.7.

Utley’s attraction was hardly restricted to statheads. “I believe scouts used him greater than anybody else I can recall for example of a participant who maximized ability with grit, power, team-oriented nature, competitiveness,” wrote the New York Submit’s Joel Sherman in 2018. “Scouts cherished them some Chase Utley.”

For all of that acclaim, Utley was under-appreciated in his day. As a result of he didn’t debut till age 24 after starring at UCLA, and didn’t play 100 video games in a season till age 26, he didn’t attain many main milestones, and never solely did he by no means win MVP, he by no means gained a Gold Glove regardless of off-the-charts defensive metrics. “I by no means performed this sport for awards, to be trustworthy with you,” he instructed the New York Instances‘ Tyler Kepner in 2018. “I really feel like in case you do this, you’re probably not doing what’s most essential, and that’s to attempt to assist your group win.”

Will Utley’s lack of recognition throughout his profession carry over into Corridor of Fame voting? To those eyes, that’s one of many poll’s greatest questions, significantly provided that the writers haven’t elected anyone from the post-1960 enlargement period with fewer than 2,000 hits. Getting him into Cooperstown may very well be an actual combat, one I don’t anticipate to be gained on this poll.

Chase Cameron Utley was born on December 17, 1978 in Pasadena, California, the older of two kids of David (a private damage lawyer) and Terrell Utley. When he was a toddler, his household moved to Lengthy Seashore, the place he quickly started enjoying Wiffle Ball marathons on the entrance garden of neighbor Denny Mayfield.

“He was type of a wuss to begin with,” recalled Mayfield in 2009. “Very timid and shy. However the shyness he had, the sport introduced him out of it. He would slide into the fence, throw his physique into the tree [the imaginary base] to be protected. I’d say, ‘You’re loopy.’”

Utley additionally performed Wiffle Ball along with his father and sister Taylor, youthful by seven years. To stop him from having to retrieve balls that younger Chase would hit into the road, David turned his son round to hit left-handed, so as an alternative his hits would rebound off the household’s home. Already working to hone his all-around sport, Chase would insist upon Taylor getting an opportunity to hit in order that he might work on his protection.

Among the many different gamers in Mayfield’s Wiffle Ball group was Sean Burroughs, a future main leaguer and the son of former AL MVP Jeff Burroughs. As a coach for Utley’s Little League group, the elder Burroughs helped Utley refine his hitting mechanics. Whereas starring at Lengthy Seashore Polytechnic Excessive College alongside future main leaguer Milton Bradley, Utley mimicked Thome, his future Phillies teammate and one among his favourite gamers, by shifting his proper foot to open his stance. He hit .525 with 12 homers as a senior, making a number of All-America groups.

Utley grew up a Dodgers fan, with Brett Butler, Kirk Gibson, and Steve Sax amongst his favourite gamers. The Dodgers drafted him within the second spherical in 1996, however collegiate life intrigued him; after visiting UCLA and discussing his scenario with senior Troy Glaus, one other future main leaguer, he selected to just accept a scholarship. He starred on the college, setting a freshman dwelling run report with 15 and incomes All PAC-10 and All-America honors in his sophomore and junior seasons. Coming into the 2000 draft, he was thought of the very best pure hitter among the many collegiate prospects; the Phillies selected him with the fifteenth choose, signing him to a $1.78 million bonus.

Utley started his skilled profession with the Batavia Muckdogs of the Low-A New York-Penn League, hitting .307/.383/.444 with two homers in 40 video games. Baseball America named him the Phillies’ fifth-best prospect, however he slipped to seventh after a difficult 12 months within the Florida State League, with BA expressing gentle issues about his protection: “He won’t ever be a Gold Glover, however the Phillies are thrilled with the progress he made along with his vary and double-play pivot. He has sufficient arm to play second base however lacks pure actions across the bag.”

The Phillies tried Utley at third base whereas leaping him from Excessive-A Clearwater to Triple-A Scranton/Wilke-Barre in 2002; later that season, the group dealt Scott Rolen to the Cardinals in a commerce whose return included second baseman Placido Polanco; in the meantime, free agent David Bell’s four-year, $17 million contract blocked Utley on the sizzling nook.

Returning to second base, the 24-year-old Utley cracked the Baseball America Prime 100 Prospects record at no. 81 in 2003, and made the massive membership out of spring coaching. He debuted on April 4, placing out in opposition to the Pirates’ Jeff Suppan in his lone plate look. “I struck out and received booed again to the dugout, which made it a correct begin to my Phillies profession,” recalled Utley in 2016. Two days later, he was demoted, however upon returning, he related for his first hit, a grand slam off the Rockies’ Aaron Prepare dinner on April 20, and tore across the bases. As known as by the legendary Harry Kalas:

Afterwards, teammate John Kruk performed a legendary prank on the rookie, with an help from supervisor Larry Bowa:

Regardless of the slam and the nice enjoyable, Utley was despatched again to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre later that week, didn’t return till August 14, and hit simply .239/.322/.373 (87 wRC+) with two homers in 43 video games. Again within the minors to begin 2004, he was recalled when Polanco was sidelined by a quad pressure in Might, and stayed up the remainder of the season, getting 11 begins at first base and 41 at second whereas typically bumping Polanco — who was within the midst of a high quality 4.6 WAR season — to 3rd. Utley hit .266/.308/.468 with 13 homers in 287 plate appearances unfold over 94 video games; his 10 DRS (7 at second base, 3 at first base) started a streak of seven straight years in double digits.

The Phillies deliberate to show second base over to Utley for the 2005 season after Polanco hit free company, however the latter shocked them by accepting arbitration — usually a formality that entitled groups to draft choose compensation — and returning to Philadelphia. Below new supervisor Charlie Manuel, the pair kind of shared the second base job till June 8, when the Phillies traded Polanco to the Tigers. Utley broke out to hit .291/.376/.540 (132 OPS+) with 28 homers, 16 steals, 23 DRS, and seven.3 WAR, the league’s third-highest complete behind solely Pujols and Derrek Lee.

He confirmed that breakout was no fluke. Whereas making the primary of 5 straight All-Star groups, he hit .309/.379/.527 (125 OPS+) with 32 homers, 15 steals, 18 DRS, and seven.3 WAR (once more third within the league) in 2006. From June 3 to August 3, he peeled off a 35-game hitting streak, matching Luis Castillo for the second-longest of the Wild Card period — solely Rollins’ 38-gamer from 2005 was longer — and tied for eleventh all-time. On August 9, he produced one of many signature performs of his profession. After clearing the bases with a three-run double off the Braves’ Macay McBride, he broke for third in an try to steal; when Howard chopped to McBride on the primary base aspect of the mound, Utley rushed dwelling. “Chase goes to maintain going and he’s protected at dwelling plate! Chase Utley, you’re the man!” exclaimed Kalas, thereby christening him with a permanent nickname.

“That second started Utley’s ascent from mere famous person to civic icon,” wrote Kepner.

Utley completed seventh within the NL MVP voting as Howard, who led the majors with 58 homers and 149 RBI whereas tallying a career-high 5.2 WAR (which didn’t even crack the league’s high 10) gained. Two months later, and a day after his marriage ceremony, Utley signed the largest contract of his profession, a seven-year, $85 million extension that purchased out all three years of his arbitration eligibility and the primary 4 years of his potential free company.

The 2006 season had been the Phillies’ third in a row ending second within the NL East with between 85 and 88 wins, and their thirteenth straight with no playoff look. Spurred by the play of Utley, Rollins, Howard, Hamels, Pat Burrell, and Jayson Werth, the group lastly broke by way of in 2007, making the most of a late collapse by the Mets to grab the division title on the ultimate day of the season with 89 wins. On September 12 they have been seven video games again, however went 13-4 whereas the Mets went 5-12. Although Utley produced his finest season to this point on the plate (.332/.410/.566, 146 OPS+) and totaled 7.8 WAR, he missed 4 weeks on account of a fractured metacarpal, suffered on July 27 when he was hit by a fastball from the Nationals’ John Lannan and wanted surgical procedure to insert a pin to stabilize his proper ring finger. He completed eighth within the NL MVP voting whereas Rollins, who hit .296/.344/.531 (119 OPS+) with 6.1 WAR, gained. Each gamers have been held to 2-for-11 showings whereas being swept by the Rockies within the Division Sequence.

In 2008, Utley set a brand new profession excessive with 33 homers to go along with a 136 wRC+, 31 DRS (!) and 9.0 WAR, second solely to Pujols’ 9.2. The Phillies gained 92 video games and claimed their second division title. Utley hit a mixed .220/.391/.460 with three homers through the postseason, developing large a number of instances. His two-run double off the Brewers’ Yovani Gallardo broke open a scoreless Division Sequence opener; the Phillies gained in 4 video games. His two-run sixth-inning homer off the Dodgers’ Derek Lowe tied the NLCS opener, and he added a first-inning RBI double off Lowe amongst his three hits in Recreation 4; the Phillies gained in 5 to advance to their first World Sequence in 15 years. Utley received them off on the best foot in opposition to the Rays with a two-run first-inning homer off Scott Kazmir in Recreation 1, and added a solo homer off Matt Garza in Recreation 3.

Although he went hitless in Video games 4 and 5, Utley scored 3 times after getting on base in a method or one other. Within the seventh inning of the latter sport — which had resumed after a 46-hour rain delay simply an inning earlier than — he made an unimaginable, career-defining play, “The Utley Play.” Ranging to his proper to backhand Akinori Iwamura’s grounder, he had the presence of thoughts to leap whereas faking a throw to first base, then threw a one-hopper to catcher Carlos Ruiz to nail Jason Bartlett attempting to attain the go-ahead run:

In 2018, on the event of the tenth anniversary of the play, Utley described what was going by way of his thoughts to The Athletic’s Jayson Stark:

“In order I catch it… I’m considering to myself that I don’t assume it’s the smart move to go to first. One, it’s chilly. Two, it’s an extended throw, and I’m off steadiness. Three, if I don’t (throw), it doesn’t actually matter. The run’s not going to attain. So I figured I would as nicely pump-fake and see what’s going to occur.”

…“I knew I had loads of time to get the ball [home]… I knew I didn’t must make the right throw. I simply needed to get it to Chooch in a standard period of time. So I type of saved occurring the run, and threw a one-hop throw on function.”

The Phillies scored a run within the backside of the seventh inning, then held on to clinch their first championship in 28 years. Utley punctuated the celebration by dropping an f-bomb on the victory parade, declaring the Phillies “World Fucking Champions!” and additional endearing himself to the Philadelphia trustworthy.

After one other exceptionally sturdy season in 2009 (31 homers, 136 OPS+, 23-for-23 in steals, and eight.2 WAR, once more second to Pujols), Utley went off within the postseason, hitting a mixed .296/.424/.648 with six homers in 71 PA in opposition to the Rockies, Dodgers, and Yankees. In opposition to the latter, he tied Reggie Jackson’s World Sequence report with 5 homers, clubbing two solo pictures off CC Sabathia in a 6-1 Recreation 1 win, one other solo homer (plus an RBI double) off Sabathia in a Recreation 4 loss, after which a three-run homer off A.J. Burnett and a solo homer off Phil Coke in a Recreation 5 win.

Utley joined the 1980 Royals’ Willie Aikens as the one gamers with a number of multi-homer video games in a single World Sequence, however he couldn’t do the whole lot himself. The Phillies misplaced in six video games, leaving Utley as the one participant to hit 5 homers in a World Sequence defeat.

From 2005–09, Utley hit a mixed .301/.388/.535 (135 OPS+) whereas averaging 29 homers, 15 steals, 20 DRS, and seven.9 WAR, an outstanding stretch. His 39.7 WAR for these 5 years trailed solely Pujols (44.6) and was over 5 wins forward of third-ranked Alex Rodriguez (34.2) and over 10 wins forward of fourth-ranked Mark Teixeira (29.3). He averaged 151 video games in that stretch, touchdown on what was then the disabled record simply as soon as in that span (2007), however as he entered his 30s, he had a more durable time staying wholesome. He missed seven weeks in 2010 on account of a torn ligament in his proper thumb however nonetheless completed with 5.8 WAR in 115 video games, ok for eighth within the league. The Phillies gained their fourth straight division title, and Utley drove in a team-high 4 runs as they swept the Reds within the Division Sequence earlier than falling to the Giants within the NLCS.

Patellar tendinitis in his proper knee delayed Utley’s 2011 debut till Might 23; between that and a concussion he suffered in September, he performed in simply 103 video games, managing a 110 OPS+ and three.8 WAR. He helped the Phillies to their fifth straight division title and hit .438/.571/.688 in a dropping trigger within the Division Sequence in opposition to the Cardinals. The subsequent 12 months, patellar chondromalacia in his left knee delayed his season debut till June 27. He homered off the Pirates’ James McDonald in his first plate look, and in simply over half a season (83 video games) nonetheless totaled 9 DRS and three.1 WAR, although the Phillies slipped to 81-81, lacking the playoffs for the primary time since 2006.

Although sidelined a month on account of an indirect pressure, the 34-year-ald Utley performed 131 video games and hit .284/.348/.475 with 18 homers in 2013. Apart from the OBP, these have been his finest numbers since ’09, although his -5 DRS — his first adverse complete — restricted him to three.6 WAR. The Phillies went simply 73-89; shortly after Utley agreed to a two-year, $27 million extension in August, Manuel was fired and changed by Ryne Sandberg. The group once more went 73-89 in 2014; Utley parlayed a powerful first half into his sixth and ultimate All-Star look, however slumped within the second half to complete at .270/.339/.407 (108 OPS+) with 3.6 WAR.

After a dreadful first half of the 2015 season, adopted by a month and a half on the DL on account of proper ankle irritation, Utley received sizzling simply lengthy sufficient upon returning in early August to drum up curiosity in his providers. He agreed to waive his no-trade clause, and in a waiver-period deal on August 19, was despatched to the Dodgers for 2 gamers, together with money to cowl most of his remaining wage. “It’s time,” he mentioned of leaving Philadelphia. “We put our heads collectively and determined it may be finest for us to half methods. I gave them a listing of a handful of groups that I might think about enjoying for, after which it was [general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.]’s job to seek out the very best deal he might for the group. And in the end it got here all the way down to the Dodgers, a group I grew up watching.”

The transfer helped cowl for Howie Kendrick’s damage, and reunited Utley with Rollins, who had been traded to the Dodgers the earlier December. Although he didn’t make a significant contribution on the sphere, Utley started mentoring rookie Corey Seager, who joined the group in September and by the top of the month had displaced Rollins within the lineup.

After successful the NL West for the third straight season, the Dodgers confronted the Mets within the Division Sequence. Within the seventh inning of Recreation 2, Utley singled after which on an infield grounder slid exhausting and late to the best of second base in an try to interrupt up a double play. In doing so, he collided violently with Rubén Tejada, upending the shortstop as he spun in an effort to make an acrobatic throw. Utley was initially known as out, however replay confirmed that Tejada by no means touched the bottom, although neither did Utley. Utley was dominated protected, and the Dodgers scored 4 runs amid a decisive rally; in the meantime, a fractured proper fibula ended Tejada’s season.

Mets followers and even many gamers across the sport known as Utley’s slide a grimy play, however others declared such contact a part of the sport. The slide was much like the kind of takeout slides beforehand accepted and even glorified as old-school examples of hard-nosed baseball.

Main League Baseball suspended Utley for 2 video games for what chief baseball officer Joe Torre known as an unlawful slide, however Utley appealed, although he didn’t play in both sport; the Dodgers misplaced the collection in 5 video games. Utley’s suspension was lifted within the spring after Torre discovered no prior self-discipline for related slides, however within the wake of the play, MLB instituted Rule 6.01(j), a.okay.a “The Utley Rule,” mandating {that a} slide to interrupt up a double play has to incorporate a bona fide try to succeed in and stay on the bottom. Whereas contact with the fielder is allowed, the runner isn’t allowed to vary his path to provoke contact or interact in a “roll block.” A runner violating the rule is out for interference, and so is the batter. On account of the rule, MLB moreover made the so-called “neighborhood play,” through which fielders have been beforehand allowed to be close to the bag however out of the runner’s path, reviewable by replay.

Amid the controversy, the 37-year-old Utley re-signed with the Dodgers through a one-year, $7 million deal, the primary of three successive pacts he would ink along with his hometown group. He performed often in 2016 however hit for only a 92 OPS+ with 1.2 WAR, weighed down by a career-worst -9 DRS. The Dodgers scaled again his enjoying time in 2017, and he turned in the same efficiency for a group that gained its first pennant in 29 years however fell to the Astros within the World Sequence.

Famend for his means to acknowledge a pitcher tipping his pitches, Utley was seemingly unable to identify the telltale indicators from Yu Darvish, who was chased early in each Video games 3 and seven. Two years later, after all, the baseball world realized that the Astros have been illegally stealing indicators and relaying them to hitters utilizing their trash-can system. Utley, who’d heard rumors of what the Astros have been as much as, watched hours of video to attempt to determine it out. He suggested his teammates to vary their signal sequences, however with out audio couldn’t crack the banging side of the code.

“You’re wanting within the dugout, you’re first base coaches, you’re wanting within the outfield, you’re wanting within the bullpen,” Utley instructed podcaster Ben Reiter. “You’re searching for something that may be a clue to what they’re doing. And… on the time, I wasn’t in a position to provide you with anyone specific factor that I assumed was fishy through the World Sequence.”

Utley re-signed with the Dodgers through a two-year, $2 million deal in February 2018. He began simply 35 video games from amongst his 87 appearances, however carried out nicely solely as a pinch-hitter (.342/.419/.474 in 43 PA). On July 14, he introduced he would retire on the finish of the season. He started his press convention by deadpanning that he’d signed a five-year contract extension, then cited his readiness to be a full-time father as his motive for strolling away.

…

In relation to the Corridor of Fame, Utley would seem like going through an uphill battle based mostly upon the size of his profession, from his delayed arrival as an everyday to his accidents and retirement at age 39. As a result of he was drafted out of school, he was 24 when he debuted. Amongst post-integration place gamers, solely Wade Boggs, Edgar Martinez, and Kirby Puckett debuted of their age-24 seasons and nonetheless wound up in Cooperstown. Moreover, Utley’s 7,863 PA outdoes simply three expansion-era Corridor of Famers, particularly Mike Piazza (7,745), Puckett (7,831), and Tony Oliva (6,880), all of whom completed with batting averages above .300.

As I wrote on the time of his retirement announcement, the constraints on Utley’s profession left him in need of 2,000 hits, placing his Corridor of Fame destiny in danger. I had famous earlier within the season in connection to Joe Mauer that on the time neither the BBWAA nor any small committee had elected a single place participant with fewer than 2,000 hits whose profession crossed into the enlargement period. A number of the finest gamers exterior the Corridor on the time — Dick Allen, Bobby Grich, Andruw Jones, and Minnie Miñoso, all of whom I profiled at size in my 2017 ebook, The Cooperstown Casebook — have been on the unsuitable aspect of that line. Since then, the elections of Miñoso (whose now-included Negro Leagues statistics push his complete to 2,113), Oliva, and Gil Hodges through the 2022 Golden Days Period Committee have produced exceptions, however BBWAA voters have but to interrupt the streak.

The two,000-hit cutoff persists primarily as a proxy for profession size, with the extra notable gamers such because the aforementioned ones prone to have derived a larger portion of their worth by excelling in areas apart from batting common, whether or not it’s excessive on-base percentages, good baserunning, good protection, and so forth, significantly at positions of defensive significance. Listed below are the highest gamers by WAR amongst these in need of 2,000 hits:

Over half of that high 25 matches into one among three teams: pre-expansion Corridor of Famers (Baker, Boudreau, Dickey, Doby, Greenberg, Gordon, Hartnett, and Robinson), energetic gamers and sure future Corridor of Famers (Betts, Goldschmidt, Machado, and Trout, with Longoria on this group however the least prone to be enshrined), and would-be Corridor of Famers if not for his or her transgressions (Jackson and McGwire). All had comparatively brief careers for one motive or one other. The energetic ones are ongoing, Jackson was banned for all times, McGwire had quite a few accidents, and the Corridor of Famers have been restricted by catching (Dickey and Hartnett), segregation (Doby and Robinson), World Battle II (Greenberg and Gordon), or uncommon circumstances (Baker missed one prime season on account of a wage dispute with Connie Mack and one other because of the aftermath of his spouse’s dying, whereas Boudreau retired at 34 to handle full-time).

All of these guys and the ten others have been or are elite in not less than one space of batting (as measured by OPS+), fielding, or baserunning, and most performed positions of defensive significance. The ten outsiders represent a who’s who of unsung stathead favorites, and as famous, just a few are within the Casebook. Allen has missed election by a single vote twice as an Period Committee candidate. Grich is the one non-PED-linked participant apart from this poll’s newcomers Mauer and Adrián Beltré who’s above the profession WAR, peak WAR, and JAWS requirements at his place however exterior the Corridor. Jones, who obtained 58.1% in his sixth 12 months on the poll in 2023, is trending in the direction of eventual election and will break the BBWAA seal on the sub-2,000 distinction.

Utley not solely matches neatly into this subgroup, he’s third in worth thanks largely to his baserunning — which additionally consists of a further 24 runs for his means to keep away from grounding into double performs, not included within the desk above — and protection. As regards to baserunning, whereas Utley solely stole greater than 16 bases as soon as (his 23-for-23 exhibiting in 2009) and totaled simply 154 steals, he was caught simply 22 instances. Amongst gamers with not less than 150 tried steals since 1920 (the purpose from which now we have steady availability of caught stealing totals), his 87.5% success charge ranks first, forward of the extra prolific Carlos Beltrán (86.4% in 361 makes an attempt) and Trea Turner (86.1% in 301 makes an attempt), in addition to Werth (85.2% in 155 makes an attempt). Like Werth, Utley benefited from the tutelage of Davey Lopes, whose 83% success charge is third behind solely Tim Raines (84.7%) and Willie Wilson (83.3%) amongst these with not less than 500 makes an attempt; an professional at studying pitchers, Lopes served because the Phillies’ first base coach from 2007-10, a span throughout which the group stole at an 84.3% clip, six factors forward of the pack.

Moreover, from 2006–12, Utley was yearly among the many NL’s finest in additional bases taken (XT%) — a couple of base on a single, greater than two on a double — both rating among the many high 10 or with a top-10-worthy proportion however with not sufficient enjoying time to qualify on account of his accidents. His composite 64% success charge for these seasons, 23-25 factors above the league averages in these years, can be included inside these baserunning runs, as are the outs he made on base. Amongst Wild Card period gamers, his 69 runs for baserunning and double play avoidance ranks seventh, 4 runs forward of Beltrán; all people else within the high 10 has over 300 stolen base makes an attempt to pad their totals.

As for the fielding, Baseball America accurately predicted Utley would by no means win a Gold Glove, however that’s as a result of he was robbed. Sure, single-year measures of single metrics aren’t all that dependable, however there’s energy in pattern measurement. Amongst all second basemen, Utley’s 131 fielding runs ranks seventh all-time:

Of the 4 different gamers on this record whose careers crossed into the Gold Glove period (1957 onward), each Mazeroski and White gained eight Gold Gloves, whereas Polanco gained three; Ellis, a defensive cog on the Moneyball-era A’s, had seven seasons of double-digit DRS totals and may have gained {hardware} alongside the way in which.

Utley is one among 20 gamers to build up not less than 100 DRS in his profession. He’s eleventh in each DRS and UZR at 90.1 runs, 2.6 forward of Dustin Pedroia for the lead amongst second basemen. Multi-time Gold Glove winners abound in each units of rankings, however Utley is the highest-ranking amongst those that by no means gained as soon as. From 2005–11 — his peak years as a defender, all predating the introduction of the SABR Defensive Index into the voting — Brandon Phillips and Orlando Hudson gained six of the seven Gold Gloves amongst NL second basemen, with Castillo the opposite one. When it comes to each DRS and UZR, Utley usually outperformed them of their successful years:

Maybe if he’d come alongside a bit later, when fielding metrics turned extra broadly accepted, Utley would have fared higher in Gold Glove and MVP voting; the place he ranked among the many NL’s high three in WAR yearly from 2005–09 and was eighth in ’10, he by no means positioned increased than seventh within the voting. That limits him to a rating of 94 (in need of “ risk”) on the Invoice James Corridor of Fame Monitor, which dishes out credit score for issues which have tended to sway voters: seasons with eye-catching plateaus comparable to 30 homers, 100 RBI, and 100 runs, careers at .300 or higher, awards, league leads in key stats, and playoff appearances.

Utley’s distinctive baserunning and protection wouldn’t put him inside hailing distance of Cooperstown with out his bat. Through Baseball Reference’s batting runs measure, he was 173 runs above common on the plate, which ranks twentieth amongst all second basemen and surpasses 9 of 20 Corridor of Famers, seven of whom had over 8,000 PA. His 117 OPS+ is increased than 11 of the 20 enshrinees.

Add all of it up and Utley’s 64.5 profession WAR ranks fifteenth amongst second basemen, a bit greater than 5 factors beneath the usual however forward of 10 of the 20 Corridor of Famers. Of those beneath him, solely Robinson was elected by the writers, whereas the remainder have been small-committee selections, not all of them good. 4 different second basemen exterior the Corridor had increased WARs, particularly Lou Whitaker (75.1), Grich (71.1), Robinson Canó (68.1), and Willie Randolph (65.9). Whitaker is one other Casebook topic whom I’ve championed, whereas Randolph, whose worth owes much less to his bat (104 OPS+) than his baserunning or protection, went one-and-done on the 1998 BBWAA poll, as Grich did in ’92 and Whitaker in 2001. Canó, who final performed in 2022, isn’t eligible but and wont be elected anytime quickly on account of a number of PED suspensions.

Utley fares even higher by seven-year peak, rating ninth at 49.3, almost 5 full wins above the usual. He trails seven Corridor of Famers and Canó (by 0.1); among the many 13 Corridor of Famers, he leads are BBWAA honorees Sandberg, Frisch, Roberto Alomar, and Craig Biggio. In the meantime, his 56.9 JAWS ranks twelfth, 0.1 beneath the usual. Of the 11 second basemen above him, solely Grich and Canó (each at 58.7) are exterior the Corridor; the 9 beneath him embrace two BBWAA honorees, Alomar (55.0) and Biggio (53.6). Neither was elected on the primary attempt; Alomar’s entry was forestalled by a 12 months on account of his spitting incident, whereas Biggio, a member of the three,000 hit membership, was delayed by two years amid an unprecedented poll crunch when he turned eligible in 2013.

Given his comparatively brief profession and lack of milestones, Utley might not be considered as an computerized selection. However his standing by JAWS, his outstanding function within the Phillies’ success, and the excessive regard through which he’s held throughout the sport make him a simple choose to those eyes. Certainly, as that aforementioned retirement announcement piece suggests, I’ve been awaiting the purpose at which I might embrace him on my poll, and I collect that I’m hardly the one voter who feels that manner. At this level, now we have the instruments to see how underrated he was in his profession. It’s time to reward him with the popularity he deserves.