Chase Utley Will Go to Hall of Fame

June 09, 2008

Rod Carew is statistically the greatest second baseman of all time. Another lefty second baseman making a splash is Philadelphia Phillie Chase Utley.

If the first five years are any indication of greatness, you don't have to look hard to figure out Utley's baseball abilities. In his first 2,353 at-bats, the slugger has amassed 709 hits, 438 RBI, 117 HR, and a batting average of .301.

That's not a bad start for the California native and UCLA alum.

Compare those stats with legend Rod Carew's, and you have a strong case. Carew in his first five years had 2,201 at-bats, 675 hits, 225 RBI, 23 HR, and a batting average of .314.

Impressive numbers indeed, but not as good as Utley's.

Now, compare slugging percentages and on base percentages over those same five years and you will notice Utley's .536 SP and .376 OBP beat Carew's .425 and .360, respectively.

Currently, Utley is leading the National League for second base votes to play in this years MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. Utley leads for good reason—he has 20 home runs and 50 RBI this year. Utley has started back-to-back All-Star games in 2006 and 2007, and is on track to play his third in 2008.

Take nothing away from the greats like Carew, Hornsby, Morgan, and Robinson; just make room for one more.

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by Ryan