There was a time when many thought one half of arguably the best middle infield duo in Philadelphia Phillies history was a lock to make the Baseball Hall of Fame. Fast forward to 2026, and it looks like the odds are in the other’s favor.
The Baseball Hall of Fame is incredibly tough to get into. Candidates need to receive at least 75 percent of the votes across all ballots to be enshrined forever in Cooperstown.
The voting is starting to stray away from the old-school approach, which would’ve favored players like Jimmy Rollins in the past, and is now shifting to a new-school approach, which favors players like Chase Utley. In fact, Utley is making significant progress toward election into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Chase Utley making compelling progress in 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame voting
It’s unlikely that Utley will be elected into the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame class, but his progress almost certainly ensures that the Phillies’ legend will make it within the next two or three years. In just his third year on the ballot and after making a steady increase over the first two years, Utley’s vote total sits at 67.9 percent with 50.7 percent of ballots released publicly on Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame ballot tracker.
Not all ballots have been made public, and the totals typically drop when they’re revealed. Regardless, it’s compelling to see that Utley jumped from 28.8 percent in his first year on the ballot to 39.8 percent in his second to close to the 75 percent needed so far in his third year.
Although Utley never won an MVP Award, the former second baseman had a decorated career. He was a six-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger, and was a key piece on the Phillies’ 2008 World Series team.
Utley was never a league leader in major statistical categories, but he led the National League in runs scored (131) in 2006, and he led the majors in times hit by a pitch for three consecutive seasons from 2007 to 2009. He was a productive offensive threat, particularly during his Phillies career, and played exceptional defense despite never winning a Gold Glove Award.
Perhaps Utley’s most important case for his Hall of Fame candidacy is his career 64.6 bWAR. He has the 15th-highest bWAR among all second basemen, and 10 of the 14 ahead of him are in the Hall of Fame. There are 14 second basemen in the Hall of Fame with a lower bWAR than Utley, including 2026 inductee Jeff Kent, who had a 55.4 bWAR.
Utley slashed .275/.358/.465 with a .823 OPS, 1,885 hits, 411 doubles, 259 home runs and 1,025 RBIs across his 16-year career between the Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. Voting results from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot will be announced Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. ET live on MLB Network.