Want a measure of how valuable Chase Utley has been to the Phillies? Utley had had a 900 OPS and OPS+ of 125 or better, in 600 or more plate appearances, each of the past five consecutive years. Here’s the list of guys to have a 125 OPS+ or better in three or more seasons total, in at least 500 PA, playing at least half their games at 2B, by number of seasons:
14
Eddie Collins
11
Nap Lajoie
10
Joe Morgan
8
Rogers Hornsby
7
Charlie Gehringer
6
Ryne Sandberg
Larry Doyle
5
Chase Utley
Jeff Kent
Craig Biggio
Roberto Alomar
4
Lou Whitaker
Jackie Robinson
Tony Lazzeri
Billy Herman
Bobby Grich
Joe Gordon
Bobby Doerr
Cupid Childs
Rod Carew
3
Frankie Frisch
Tom Daly
(Plus 19 guys who did it twice, including Hall of Famers Johnny Evers and Bid McPhee as well as two active players, Robinson Cano and Alfonso Soriano)
Doyle’s the only one of the 6-years-and-up guys not in the Hall of Fame, and he was a bad glove man who played in the dead ball era. Utley could easily join that group if he returns healthy from his current injury without missing too much time. If you look at raw numbers of seasons of 900 OPS or better, the list is even narrower:
8
Hornsby
7
Gehringer
5
Collins
Utley
4
Alomar
Jackie
3
Lajoie
Morgan
Childs
Kent
2
Biggio
Bret Boone
Chuck Knoblauch
Buddy Myer
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It’s a good thing Joe Morgan doesn’t pay attention to these stats. We’d have to constantly listen to him whine about how Collins and Lajoie are ahead of him because of _______ It’s a good thing Joe Morgan doesn’t pay attention to these stats. We’d have to constantly listen to him whine about how Collins and Lajoie are ahead of him because of _______ <-- fill in lame reason.