The 2024 Baseball Writers Association of American Pro Baseball Hall of Fame (whew!) ballot was officially unveiled earlier today and it includes a bevy of former members of the Philadelphia Phillies. The most notable of the newest additions is former All-Star second baseman Chase Utley. Utley joins former teammates Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, and Billy Wagner on the ballot. Other first timers on the ballot include Adrian Beltre, David Wright, and Matt Holliday.
Utley played 17 Major League seasons with the Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. “The Man” as he was called by the late Harry Kalas, Utley was a six-time National League All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award winner at second base. While he’s on the ballot, Utley’s chances of making the Hall in his first ballot are almost zero. Utley’s candidacy for the Hall is interesting and will continue to serve as a test case for a new way of viewing players. While Utley’s traditional stats over a five-to-seven-year period are off the charts, it’s the advanced stats that could put him in Cooperstown.
As for the other former Phillies on the ballot, Wagner is the closest to getting into Cooperstown in 2024. The outspoken closer, who spent 2004-2005 with the Phils, has accumulated 68/1% of the votes during the last set of voting. Wagner is likely to achieve the 75% needed to gain induction on this ballot. Abreu has accrued 15.4% of the votes and Rollins accrued 12.9% of the votes. Abreu and Rollins won’t be making the massive leap to 75% this year, but it will be interesting to see how they continue to climb the ballot.
The results of the 2024 BBWAA voting will be unveiled on January 23 from Cooperstown and broadcast live on MLB Network. Hall of Fame induction is set for Sunday, July 21 from the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown.
