Phillies: Making a Case for Future Hall of Fame Candidates
Chase Utley
Chase Utley, who is commonly referred to as “The Man’ by many Phillies fans, was the cornerstone of a dominant Phillies team from 2007-2012. Utley prided himself on his work ethic and it paid off as Utley was selected to the National League all-star game six times
As a second baseman, Utley showed tremendous power for the position. He also was able to post an OBP of over .375 in six straight season. This led to him being awarded the National League Silver Slugger award four times in his Phillies career.
In relation to the last second baseman to be enshrined to Cooperstown, Craig Biggio, Utley showed similar if not better statistic throughout the prime of his career. Chase Utley was able to post a WaR of over 5.8 in six straight seasons, as Biggio was only able to do that five times.
What he lacked as a defender was made up for by a beastly work ethic that no other second baseman in the league could compare to. Seldom times would you ever see Utley walk out a pop-up or display a lack of effort on the base path. In fact, Utley would go out of his way to break-up double plays, sometimes to a fault.
Utley finished his 13-year Phillies career with a .282 average, 233 home runs, and 977 RBIs. This constant production earned Utley five top-15 finishes in the National League MVP voting. Utley is also the Phillies all-time leader among 2nd baseman in hits, doubles, home runs, and RBI’s.