Former Phillies pitcher, Roy Halladay, along with three other players, Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina and Edgar Martinez were all elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this past week. Halladay, also known as Doc, was an intricate part of the Phillies teams when they were still in elite form in 2010 and so on. Doc was the ace of the team for two of the four years he was here and in those two years racked up accolades that only a few could dream of matching.

The Phillies were one of the best franchises in baseball during Halladay’s stint and his recent Hall of Fame induction got me to thinking of what other members of those great Phillies teams could be making a historic trip to Cooperstown, New York.

The Case for Chase

Chase Utley is my favorite Philadelphia athlete of all time but was his production in Philadelphia and short stint in Los Angeles get him into the prestigious Baseball Hall of Fame?

Career numbers:

.275 BA .358 OBP

259 HRS

1885 H

Accolades: 6x All-Star – 4x Silver Slugger – 1x WS Champ

To go along with those numbers, Chase Utley is one of just six second baseman with a career WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 65 and at least 250 career home runs. The other five are Roger Hornsby, Craig Biggio, Ryne Sandberg, Joe Morgan and Robinson Cano, with Cano being the only non Hall of Famer (still playing).

Utley was a key part to the Phillies 2008 and 2009 postseasons. His five home runs in the 2009 World Series tied the MLB record for most home runs in a World Series. He also owns the second highest stolen base percentage of all time, which shows just how smart of a player he was.

Being the best second baseman in the National League for a good portion of his career, Utley deserves some recognition. The way he carried himself, his integrity and dedication to the game makes him a Hall of Famer in my eyes. Although it may take him longer than others, he has a fair shot to get in one day. What do you think?

