UCLA Alum Has Second Shot at Hall of Fame

UCLA alum and Bruins Hall of Famer Chase Utley is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the second time.

Jun 21, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Former Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley waves to the crowd after his retirement ceremony before the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-Imagn Images / John Geliebter-Imagn Images

UCLA Hall of Famer, four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, six-time All-Star and 2008 World Series Champion Chase Utley is on the MLB Hall of Fame ballot for the second time. But the question is: can he make it in?

Utley is in his second year of eligibility to land into the MLB Hall of Fame, where on his first ballot, he received 28.8% of votes. Though not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Utley proved himself during his 16-year career span in the MLB to be regarded as one of the better second basemen of all time.

Spending 12-plus seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, the team that drafted him from UCLA back in 2000 at 15th overall, and three-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Utley put up some remarkable and respectable career numbers.

He finished his career with a .275 batting average, 1,885 hits, 259 home runs, 1,025 RBIs and 154 stolen bases. Utley's best season came back in 2008, the year the Phillies won the World Series, where he posted a .292 batting average, hit 33 home runs with 104 RBIs, and finished in 14th place for MVP voting, but did take home a Silver Slugger and a ring for the outstanding season he had.

Utley's best years came during his time with the Phillies, as many fans remember his time wearing the red pinstripes. But none of this could have happened if Utley did not pursue a career in college with UCLA.

Utley played with UCLA from 1998 to 2000. In his freshman season, he hit .320 and broke the freshman record for home runs, smashing 15 while earning a spot on the Freshman All-America Team.

Utley's junior year was remarkable with UCLA, hitting .382, smashing 22 home runs with 69 RBIs, landing him another First-Team All-America honor and sending the Bruins to the NCAA Super Regional for the first time in UCLA's history.

Utley is joined by the likes of other star Second Basemen Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia, but Utley still stands above those two in terms of Wins Above Replacement (WAR), where he finished his career with a 64.5 WAR.

Utley could very soon add MLB Hall of Famer to his long list of accolades, if not this year, then hopefully in the next decade of ballot eligibility.

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