(CBS SPORTS/CBSLA) – Chase Utley is in the midst of his 16th season at the big-league level. It will be his last. Currently in his third full season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Utley will reportedly announce this afternoon his intent to retire at the end of the year. Though Utley has not been an effective player this season (he entered Friday with a 77 OPS+), he was without a doubt one of the best second baseman of his era — and could well find himself in Cooperstown down the road. Utley made six All-Star teams, won four Silver Slugger Awards, and earned MVP votes in five consecutive season. He’s a career .276/.358/.466 hitter who, from 2005-13, hit .290/.378/.503 with 202 home runs and 123 stolen bases. Here’s a look at where he ranks among second basemen since he debuted in 2003: Hits: fourth Doubles: second Home runs: second Runs batted in: second Stolen bases: sixth Batting average: 26th On-base percentage: eighth Slugging percentage: third Wins Above Replacement: second Robinson Cano is the one second baseman with more WAR than Utley since 2003. Meanwhile, Ian Kinsler is the only other second baseman within 10 wins of Utley. (Dustin Pedroia is 13 wins back, and Ben Zobrist is 21 wins behind.) Utley’s advanced metrics stack up well historically, too. His 65.6 career WAR includes 49.3 coming during his peak. The average Hall of Fame second baseman, for reference, notched 69.5 career WAR with 44.5 coming during their peak. In what became an infamous moment, Ruben Tejada #11 of the New York Mets is hit by a slide by Chase Utley #26 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning in an attempt to turn a double play in game two of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Obviously Utley’s Hall of Fame chances will be dictated by years of coming argument. But he has a real case. Add in how he was a pivotal part of some great Philadelphia Phillies teams, including the 2008 World Series champions, and he could get the nod from those who prefer their Hall of Famers to have enjoyed team success in addition to individual accolades. Of course any discussion of Utley’s career is not complete without mentioning his takeout slide on Ruben Tejada during the 2015 postseason. The league subsequently changed the rules concerning how baserunners were allowed to slide. Tejada, for his part, never recovered to play as he did before the incident. Utley was expected to hold a news conference at 3:15 p.m. Friday afternoon.
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Dodgers’ Chase Utley To Announce Retirement: Report
