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hofutley.bsky.social
Results so far: 2024 - 28.8% Goals: 2025 - 38% 2026 - 48% 2027 - 58% 2028 - 68% 2029 - Induction
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Chase Utley received 39.8% of the vote on the 2025 BBWAA ballot, setting himself up for a strong chance of crossing The Maris Line next year.

Ballot #210 is from Marc Lancaster. Utley's surge this cycle continues as he gains his 24th vote, putting him at net +18 and 51.4% overall. In the Tracker: tracker.fyi

Ballot #174 is from Joe Smith. CC, Ichiro, Rollins, and Utley join six holdovers. Rollins moves to net +10 (the fourth candidate of the cycle to reach a double digit net gain) and Utley to +12. In the Tracker: tracker.fyi

Requiring 51% of games there, only sixteen Second Baseman had 1800 hits and 1000 RBI 12 Hall of Famers Whitaker Kent Canó Utley If we lower it from 51% of games to 40% of games, we only add one more player, Hall of Famer Rod Carew.

Considering the Maris Line is 43.1%, Chase Utley’s chances at eventual induction look really good based on Jason’s latest projections. Don’t know what the Maris Line is? Check the reply to this post.

I’d love to hear answers to the following questions from folks who would NOT vote for Chase Utley: Where would you rank him all-time among second basemen, and who would you have ahead of him?

Among players to debut since 1998 who have played at least 40% of their career games at C, 2B, SS, 3B or CF, Chase Utley ranks 14th in games played. The “longevity” issue people lob at Utley is out of step with career durations at skill positions in recent times. @hofutley.bsky.social

Hoe many Top 20 in JAWS, scandal free, eligible but now needs the committee are there by position? 5 CF C 4 3B 3 2B LF 2 RF SS 1 P 0 1B P (S-JAWS)

7 second basemen in history had 700 XBH and a .450 SLG Rogers Hornsby, Charlie Gehringer, Nap Lajoie, and Ryne Sandberg, are in the Hall. Robinson Cano would've been. Jeff Kent and Chase Utely will be.

Looking beyond the outfield, there are 68 position players who had more Career & Peak rWAR than Jones (8 CF, 5 LF, 10 RF, 8 1B, 10 2B, 8 3B, 7 SS, 2 C). 60 Hall of Famers Barry Bonds Alex Rodriguez Mike Trout Mookie Betts Joey Votto Albert Pujols Robinson Cano @hofutley.bsky.social

While it is true that Utley never won a Gold Glove, the idea that "nothing backs up his dWAR" is absurd. Utley was great by several more traditional ways of evaluating defense.

The exclusive 250 HR, 150 SB, 700 BB club has only 46 members. Of those, only 7 played a majority of their games in the middle infield. Jeter, Moran, Yount, Biggio, and Sandberg are in the Hall. Rodriguez would've been if not for PEDs. Utley is the one snub.

Jackson is now tied for the record. One of those tied with him? Chase Utley! @hofutley.bsky.social

“You’ll be visited by three spirits.” The three spirits:

Utley is back to +1.

Doing some research for a big 2025 project, and I don't think we're ready for how COVID is going to affect Hall of Fame discussions a decade from now.

Utley had 3 adds and 3 drops so far. WE BROKE EVEN!

84 Hall of Fame position players had fewer than 2000 Games Played. Here's the top 12 by WAA: DiMaggio - 55.2 Brothers - 55.1 Connor - 54.2 Vaughan - 51.8 Walker - 48.3 Mize - 44.1 Boudreau - 42.1 Delahanty - 41.9 Robinson - 41.3 #UtleyHOF - 40.9 Hamilton - 39.3 Baker - 36.9 Charleston - 36.5

LET'S GO! We're getting back up.

The New York Post confirms the terribly sad news: Rickey Henderson has passed away. nypost.com/2024/12/21/s...

This stings, but next year's ballot will be lighter and Utley should regain the vote.

Most stolen bases first 10 years in majors: 1. Rickey Henderson 2. Billy Hamilton (19th century, not 21st century) 3. Vince Coleman 17. Lou Brock 156. Joe Morgan Most stolen bases year 11-20: 1. Rickey Henderson 2. Lou Brock 3. Joe Morgan 68. Billy Hamilton 207. Vince Coleman Also no. 1 years 21+

he was so entertaining and such a goofster that we tend not to think of him this way, but rickey henderson was flat out one of the very greatest american athletes who's ever lived

I always find it interesting that the headline for Rickey is the stolen base record when he also is the all-time leader in RUNS SCORED! RUNS SCORED!!!! The goal of the game is to collect 27 outs while scoring more runs than you allow and no one crossed home plate more often than Rickey. RIP

Career WAA Utley - 40.9 Brooks Robinson - 39.7 Ryne Sandberg - 38.4 Joe Gordon - 35.3 Todd Helton - 33.3 Dick Allen - 32.9 Utley w/ his dWAR cut in half - 32.3 Derek Jeter - 29.9 Craig Biggio - 29.1 Tony Oliva - 20.2 Ted Simmons - 19.0 Dave Parker - 6.5

Lukewarm Take If a player is in the top 30 in games played at a position in baseball that has been around since forever, then they played long enough. Chase Utley is 25th in games played at second base. The problem is evaluators’ ideas of what HOF numbers are for his position, not his longevity.

Some people doubt Utley's prestigious defensive metrics. For sake of argument, cut Utley's dWAR in HALF. He now 55.9 rWAR and 32.3 WAA. That is over the Hall of Fame borderline Hall for many BEFORE you take into account his late start from going to college.

Logically I get this is only Utley's second ballot, thus his first chance to be added, but it's still weird seeing "first ever plus one." Anyway.... LET'S GO! A PLUS ONE FOR UTLEY!!!

Speaking of Biggio, it's an interesting comp. Utley has a 64.5 career WAR, Biggio's is 65.5. Biggio had one 7-WAR season. Utley had 5, all in a row. Biggio had 6 seasons w/ a 120 or better OPS+, Utley had 7. And Utley has a higher career OPS+. Utley's peak was higher than Biggio's.

3000 TB, 700 BB, and 200 HBP: Chase Utley Craig Biggio* Don Baylor . 3000 TB, 700 BB, 200 HBP, and a dWAR greater than negative 20: Chase Utley Craig Biggio* *HOF

Only 186 hitters maintained a .350 OBP & .450 SLG over a career of 1500+ Games. Of those, only 16 had a dWAR of at least 10. Gordon, Wagner, Rolen, Schmidt, Mays, Cronin, Hornsby, Doerr, Hartnett, Clemente, Vaughan, Gehringer, Dickey, and Nap are HOF, A-Rod has PED issues, Utley is the snub.

Chase Utley is the only player in MLB history to get hit by 200+ pitches while also hitting into fewer than 100 Double Plays.

With the recent elections of Dick Allen, Tony Oliva, and Gil Hodges, the Eras Committee is sending a strong message: The 2000 hit rule is now dead! Granted, Buster Posey was going to kill the rule in a few years anyways.

Most career IBB* as a second baseman** HOF PEDs HOF Whitaker HOF HOF HOF #UtleyHOF Kent HOF . *excluding those w/ >50% of IBB while hitting in 8 spot **40% of career games

*just want to rant to a larger audience* One of these players finished second in MVP voting in 2008, the other 14th 1.8 WAR 48 HR 146 RBI .251/.339/.543 9.0 WAR 33 HR 104 RBI .292/.380/.535 In 2009 3rd and 8th 3.8 WAR 45 HR 141 RBI .279/.360/.571 8.2 WAR 31 HR 93 RBI .282/.397/.556

Also voters didn’t recognize that Utley, not Howard or Rollins, was the best player on the team.

Can say the same thing about his other awards voting (MVP) as well

In this 2009 ESPN article, @robneyer.bsky.social called out exactly what would happen with Chase Utley’s Hall of Fame candidacy due to the ridiculous way Gold Gloves have been determined. This was shared by @hofutley.bsky.social on the other app. Article link in reply.

Objective offensive stats: 3000 TB, 700 BB, .800 OPS. 161 hitters put up these (non-sabermetric) numbers in their career. With 8 positions around the diamond, you would expect ~20 players at each. Yet only 10 were primarily 2B (40% of games). 8 Hall of Famers, Jeff Kent, and Chase Utley.

This is a great, non-sabermetric way of highlighting part of why Utley’s base running values in bWAR are so high. This skill coupled with his incredible SB% made for very impactful value that is likely lost on those who primarily only saw his boxscores.