Chase Utley made his big league debut on April 4, 2003. Appearing as a pinch hitter, he struck out against Pittsburgh’s Jeff Suppan. Umpiring first base that day was Joe West, baseball’s all-time leader in games umpired.

Shown above is a 5×8 stat card that highlights West’s career. The arbiter has signed it in the bottom right corner.

Twenty days later in his second game, Utley made his first start. In front of the Philadelphia faithful, Utley was grand.

After flying out in his first at bat in the bottom of the second, Utley came up again in the third still in search of his first knock. With the bases loaded and two out, he hit the ball out of the yard. Rather than celebrate, Utley put his head down and sprinted around the bases.

In the bottom of the eighth Utley did more damage. Leading off the inning, he slapped a ball to the gap in left-center field for a double. Two batters later Utley scored on a double by Jimmy Rollins.

At game’s end, Utley was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, four RBI, and six total bases.

With 1,885 hits, 259 homers, and a slash line of .275/.358/.465 Chase Utley’s traditional numbers don’t scream “Cooperstown”. However, a deeper look using more advanced metrics says his career is certainly worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.

Utley broke in with the Phillies with a 43-game stint in 2003. Two years later he became the everyday second baseman. From 2005-2010 Utley was one of the best players in the league. During that run he hit .298 with a .388 on-base percentage and a .523 slugging mark. His seasonal averages included 36 doubles, 27 homers, 105 runs scored, and 95 runs batted in.

Despite the outstanding numbers, Utley was often overshadowed by teammates. In 2005 and 2006 Ryan Howard took the spotlight. The Rookie of the year in ’05, Howard slugged 22 homers in just 88 games. With his wide smile the affable Howard immediately endeared himself to the Philly faithful. Meanwhile, Utley had a break-out year with 28 home runs, 108 RBI. That, along with stellar glove work at second base gave Utley 7.3 WAR, a figure topped only by Albert Pujols and Derek Lee among NL position players.

The following season Howard’s numbers were downright gaudy. His 58 home runs were historically good. In the history of the National League only Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa had ever slammed more in a season. With 149 RBI, Howard’s easily-identified production earned him the MVP. Meanwhile, his infield mate Utley out-paced him in WAR by a wide margin: 7.3 to 5.2.

In 2007 Utley’s double play partner Jimmy Rollins took home the MVP hardware. A Gold Glover on defense, Rollins led the league in triples (20), and runs score (139) while amassing 380 total bases from the shortstop position. Utley again bested an MVP’s WAR total 7.8 to 6.2.

When Philadelphia won the franchise’s second World Series in 2008, Howard slugged 48 homers and 146 RBI and finished 2nd in the MVP race. Albert Pujols the award’s winner led the league in WAR with 9.2 just ahead of Utley’s 9.0 mark. Despite his all-around production, Utley finished a distant 14th in the vote.

In 2009 Utley had his fifth-consecutive season of at least 7.0 WAR. He earned his fourth-straight Silver Slugger Award and was named to his fourth-consecutive All Star squad. For the ten-year period from 2005 to 2014 Utley’s 59.7 WAR trailed only Pujols (67.7) in all of baseball. When whittled down to a six-year run spanning from 2005-2010, Utley averaged a staggering 7.4 WAR per season.

Many believe Utley will eventually earn a plaque in Cooperstown.

Shown here is a ticket to Chase Utley’s big league debut on April 4, 2003. The ticket and the second baseman’s signature are authenticated by PSA/DNA.

According to Fangraphs, a season with 3.0-4.0 WAR is All Star level. Chase Utley had 10 seasons above the 3-WAR mark. Nine of the ten were above 3.5; others came in at 5.8, 7.3, 7.3, 7.8, 8.2, and 9.0. Despite what the advanced metrics say, the under-appreciated Utley was selected to just six Mid Summer Classics.

When he did get selected, Utley delivered by hitting an even .300. Shown here is a ticket to the 2014 All Star Game signed by the game’s MVP Mike Trout. Both the ticket and the signature are authenticated by PSA.

Appearing as a pinch hitter in the top of the second, Utley hit a double off of Boston’s Jon Lester to bring home the NL’s first run. One batter later Utley scored on a two-base hit by Jonathan Lucroy. Though his National League mates lost 5-3, Utley did his part.

Chase Utley’s influence on the game goes well beyond the statistics. The second baseman’s hard-nosed style precipitated a change in baseball’s rules. Today big league middle infielders are better protected because of MLBs so-called “Chase Utley rule”.

The defining play that directly led to the change came in Game 2 of the 2015 National League Division Series. In the bottom of the 7th Utley’s Dodgers were behind 2-1. With Enrique Hernandez on second, Utley singled to right to put the tying run 90 feet away.

Howie Kendrick came up next and hit a one-hopper up the middle. Positioned just steps away, second baseman Daniel Murphy snared it then underhanded the ball to shortstop Ruben Tejada as he went to the bag.

Hoping to avoid the double play, Utley slid hard and late to take out Tejada. The Mets shortstop took the collision then fell hard to the ground, breaking his right fibula in the process.

As Tejada writhed on the ground, Dodger skipper Don Mattingly called for a replay review. Slow-motion views of the play revealed that Tejada never touched the base with his right foot. To the chagrin of the rabid New York fans, the out call of second base umpire Chris Guccione was overturned. The Dodgers rallied to win the game 5-2.

Mets players and fans howled, calling the play dirty. Major League Baseball suspended Utley for two games for the hard slide. Utley appealed and remained eligible for the rest of the Series.

Upon review baseball dropped the suspension saying there was no clear-cut rule he violated. Major League Baseball changed that.

A new rule regarding baserunning and slides was implemented. Rule 6.01 (j) states that “slides on potential double plays will require runners to make a bona fide attempt to reach and remain on the base. Runners may still initiate contact with the fielder as a consequence of an otherwise permissible slide. A runner will be specifically prohibited from changing his pathway to the base or utilizing a ‘roll block’ for the purpose of initiating contact with the fielder.”

Managers and players immediately decried the rule as over-legislation and too drastic of a change to the traditional game. By season’s end the rule was embraced as a necessary step in protecting middle infielders. Today everyone in baseball sees the change as positive.

Few athletes impact a sport in the way Chase Utley has.

Shown here is a receipt that signed by umpire Chris Guccione for his 2011 All Star ring. Guccione was the second base umpire the day Utley slid hard into Tejada and compelled the rule that bears his name.

UCLA’s baseball program has a proud tradition of both team and individual success. The alma mater of Jackie Robinson has double-digit totals in conference championships and has appeared in the NCAA postseason dozens of times. More than 100 big leaguers first suited up for the Bruins.

Utley first stepped onto the Westwood campus in 1997. He hit .320 and broke the school’s record for home runs by a freshman. His efforts earned him a spot on the Freshman All-American squad.

Utley’s sophomore year was even better. A first-team All-American, Utley hit .355 in conference play. He repeated as a first-team selection as a junior and helped his team reach the NCAA Super Regional for the first time in school history.

The Phillies made him the 15th overall pick in the 2000 draft, luring Utley to the professional ranks with one season of eligibility remaining. Ten years later he was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame.

Utley then enjoyed a 16-year big league career. Among Bruin big leaguers his 64.5 career WAR ranks behind only Bobby Grich (71.1).

Shown here is a Topps contract extension signed by Grich on March 4, 1973.