Chase Utley now just a year away from Hall of Fame ballot

One week ago Monday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame released the 2023 ballot that will be voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The list included five former Philadelphia Phillies players, including newcomer Jayson Werth.

Looking ahead to the 2024 ballot that will be released next year, a Phillies icon is set to join that group of potential inductees. Six-time All-Star Chase Utley, having retired retired after the 2018 season, will be eligible for the Hall for the first time in 2024.

Utley will have an interesting case for voters when his candidacy begins. The counting stats don’t particularly pop; in 16 seasons for the Phillies and Dodgers, he amounted 1,885 hits and 259 home runs with knee problems costing him time throughout the latter portion of his career.

However, a closer glance shows that Utley’s production at his peak was elite. He averaged 7.3 fWAR per season during his best six-year stretch from 2005-2010, with three top-10 MVP finishes and four Silver Sluggers in that span. His 61.6 career fWAR ranks 14th among second basemen — one spot ahead of former Phillies manager and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg; all but three players ahead of Utley on that list are in the Hall of Fame.

Utley also has postseason success to add to his resume as a 2008 World Series champion and tied Reggie Jackson’s World Series record with five home runs in the 2009 Fall Classic.

He didn’t have the longest stretch of success, but Utley’s best years certainly give him a shot to be elected down the line. When he joins the ballot next year, his name will be included with other 2024 first-year candidates such as Adrián Beltré, Joe Mauer and David Wright.

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