Chase Utley is eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time and has a case that is sure to stir debate.

The Phillies great is one of 26 players on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Hall of Fame ballot, which also includes Jimmy Rollins and Bobby Abreu.

Utley’s case will be a fascinating measure of peak vs. longevity. From 2005-09, he was perhaps the best overall player in baseball, hitting .301/.388/.535, averaging 39 doubles, 29 home runs, 101 RBI and 111 runs scored with elite defense and baserunning. Few, if any players positively affected more facets of a game than Utley during that era.

Over that five-year period, he won a World Series and homered five times in six games when the Phillies fell short against the Yankees the following year.

It was one of the best runs any second baseman has ever had, but was it long enough? Knee injuries cut short what looked like a surefire Hall of Fame career. Utley averaged 151 games during his five-year peak but just 116 over his final nine seasons.

He will have his supporters and figures to be popular with voters who value advanced metrics. A player needs 75% of votes to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

Rollins returns to the ballot for the third year. He appeared on 9.4% of ballots last year. It’s the fifth year for Abreu, who received 8.6% of votes a year ago.

BBWAA voters cast their ballots through December 31 and results are announced on January 23, 2024, on MLB Network.

Candidates remain on the ballot for 10 years unless they are elected to the Hall of Fame or receive less than 5% of votes.

Utley is joined by fellow first-timers Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, David Wright and Matt Holliday. Beltre is a no-brainer for Cooperstown and Mauer is a solid candidate himself. The nearest misses from 2023 were Todd Helton (72%), Billy Wagner (68%) and Andruw Jones (58%).