Joe Giglio made the case for Chase Utley as Hall Of Famer on the latest episode of WIP Daily.
"I believe is a Hall Of Famer," Giglio said. "I believe Chase Utley will, one day, make the Hall Of Fame.
"I think if we just look at Chase Utley's raw stats, the first instinct you would have, many would have—nah, that's not a Hall Of Famer... Chase Utley is a first interesting case study in peak verse the whole thing.
"Over a decade span he is one of the top five players in the sport, he was that for a decade span. And I believe that, coupled with all of the winning in Philadelphia, coupled with the position he played [second base]—which does not usually produce offense at the level he did—and a championship and the peak of excellence. That is a Hall Of Fame player."
Utley, as pointed out by Giglio, finished his career with a 64.5 career WAR [Wins Above Replacement], 14th all-time among second baseman and it's better than 11 current Hall Of Fame second baseman. Furthermore, Giglio notes from 2005 to 2014 the highest WAR in baseball was Albert Pujols. Utley, over that 10-year span, Utley's WAR was 59.7, trailing only Pujols.
Utley was nominated for the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time. Utley joins former Phillies Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, and Billy Wagner on the ballot.