It's Time To Give Utley Some Due

Going into the season, many expected the home run race to be between the likes of Alex Rodriquez, Miguel Cabrera, David Ortiz, or Ryan Howard. Yet it is Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley who leads the Major Leagues in home runs. Utley added to his lead last night with his 22nd home run of the season in the Phillies 20-2 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals. Utley, who has never hit more than 32 homers in a season, may finally start to be associated with some of the marquee hitters in the game. It is about time for that. His 162 game average is a .302 batting average, a.377 on-base percentage, a .537 slugging percentage, 30 home runs, and 113 RBIs. That is fantastic for any player, yet alone a second baseman.

It is possible that Utley's name does not come up in conversations about some of the best hitters in the game because he plays in Philadelphia. Utley is often overshadowed by 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard and 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins. This season though, Utley has carried the Phillies into first place in the NL East. Howard has struggled thus far, with a .212 BA and a .313 OBP. Rollins has missed 24 games because of injury. Even without the added protection in the lineup, Utley is having his best season ever. Chase is hitting .317, with 22 home runs ,61 RBIs. Utley also owns a .404 on-base clip and a .653 slugging percentage. Utley is second in the NL in RBIs, third in runs scored (54), and fourth in batting average, on-base plus slugging percentage (1.057) and slugging percentage, respectively. If Chipper Jones ever cools down, Utley may become the third straight Phillie to win the MVP award.

Fans are finally starting to give Utley his due. The 29-year leads the National League in All-Star voting by about 170,000 votes. However, Chase and the rest of the Phillies are looking to make some noise in the postseason, after giving Philadelphia its first baseball postseason game and NL East title last year for the first time since 1993. The Phillies want to win a championship, something that no professional team has done in Philadelphia since the 1980 Phillies.

The 1980 Phillies were led by Mike Schmidt, who happened to lead the majors in home runs with 48 that season. The 2008 Phillies also have the majors home run leader in Utley, who is on pace for 52 home runs. Should Utley continue his monster season, the Phillies could be vying for a shot at the World Series title when October comes. For now though, the Phillies are taking things slow, hoping to win their second straight NL East crown. As the Marlins fade, the Mets hover near .500, and the Braves struggle, this is Philadelphia's division to lose. Thanks to Chase Utley, Philly fans are finally starting to believe it's their year. It could very well be.