Chase Utley’s baserunning made him ‘The Man.’ Could it also make him a Hall of Famer?

Chase Utley never stopped running as he rounded third base, but he also never stopped thinking. He played the game like a cyborg, from the way he studied the opposition in the hours before first pitch to the way he never shied away from an inside fastball to the way he moved on the basepaths. Everything had a purpose. His wheels — both his legs and his mind — always seemed to be spinning.

So Utley wasn’t just watching the pitcher field the ball on that August afternoon in 2006, he was also calculating.

“In my internal time clock I’m going, ‘I have a chance to continue to keep going and I might be safe,’” Utley said. “I’m assuming they’re not paying attention to me once they get the runner out. Because what runner would try to score from second base on a ball back to the mound?”

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The play — Utley scored from second base in Atlanta on an infield chopper by Ryan Howard — is what caused Harry Kalas to christen Utley “The Man.” The nickname followed him ever since.

He was The Man and he earned it in a very Utley way, with the type of smart and aggressive baseball play that defined his 16-year career.

Now, the same type of baserunning that made him The Man could be what makes him a Hall of Famer. Utley, on the ballot for the first time, has a case for induction but seems to be a borderline candidate for the 2024 class, which will be announced on Jan. 24. He finished with fewer than 2,000 hits, but his Wins Above Replacement from 2005 to 2014 trails that of only Albert Pujols. Utley was an elite player of his generation yet is not a lock for Cooperstown, N.Y.

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Perhaps his baserunning, the same area of his game that made him The Man, could make him a Hall of Famer.

“You saw how he would take the extra base, how he would break up the double play, how he would steal bases on guys who weren’t paying attention,” said Pat Burrell, Utley’s teammate for his first six seasons. “He never let up. It was the envy of everyone. I hope the Hall of Fame comes down to that. I hope it comes down to some metric like that because he deserves it.”

Utley didn’t steal a ton of bases — he swiped more than 16 just once in a season — but he was usually safe when he decided to go.

His stolen-base percentage (87.5%) is the highest among all players with at least 100 career steals. The player who ranks second (Roger Bresnahan) is a Hall of Famer and the player who ranks third (Carlos Beltran) had a Hall of Fame career but his case could be complicated because of his involvement in the Houston Astros cheating scandal.

“You pick your spots where you feel comfortable that, ‘If I steal the base, I’m going to be safe,’” Utley said. “The last thing I wanted to do was get thrown out when Ryan Howard was up. So I picked and chose my spots wisely. It all goes back to due diligence and not being afraid of a negative outcome.”

His three-run double off Macay McBride in that 2006 game put the Phillies ahead by two and brought up Howard with one out. Utley stole third base just three times in his career and never to that point.

“This was an opportunity,” Utley said.

Utley knew from his pregame research that McBride’s delivery was a bit slow, providing him a chance to steal. Plus, the pitcher was left-handed so his back was turned to third base. And Utley knew he would be more focused on Howard than the runner on second. So Utley broke for third as soon as McBride threw the first pitch.

“I didn’t have a whole lot of fear on the bases,” Utley said. “It’s one thing to be fearless. It’s another thing to be stupid. I was more fearless than stupid on the basepaths.”

Utley said he was taught from a young age to be aggressive and run hard.

“I know that’s kind of boring and simple,” he said.

But that was Utley. He didn’t play the game with much flair or flash. Utley said he kept his head down and focused. That’s how he ran the bases. And then he met John Vukovich, the former Phillies infielder who became a longtime instructor and coach after retiring. He was no-nonsense just like Utley.

“He was a big proponent of baserunning and being ahead of the other team,” Utley said. “Try to get them on their heels and make the defense a little uncomfortable with your baserunning style. He affirmed how I already thought about baserunning and made me more comfortable playing that way.”

Utley, after spending spring trainings as a young player with Vukovich, became a master of taking the extra base. Between 2006 and 2010, he finished in the top 10 each season in extra-base-taken percentage, which calculates how often a baserunner moves more than one base on a single or more than two bases on a double.

“You take those shots,” Utley said. “But the only way you’re able to take those shots and be successful is if you’re anticipating those moments. You’re anticipating what you want to do. You’re already figuring out, ‘If the ball is hit in this direction, I’m going to go for it.’ Or vice versa, if you’re down by three runs and it doesn’t matter if you’re on third base. That’s the time you tone it down a little bit and let the big boys drive you in.”

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His aggression sometimes got Utley in trouble, like when he broke Ruben Tejada’s leg on a slide at second base while trying to break up a double play with the Dodgers in the 2015 postseason against the Mets. But it’s also what set him apart.

“I remember he was up to bat in Atlanta one night and he hit a ball to first base,” Burrell said. “A guy was coming home to score and Adam LaRoche was playing first and coming in to make a play at home. Chase was coming out of the box and jumped into the air to try and get hit by the ball, which is insane. I was on deck and LaRoche threw it off the backstop and the run scored. Brian McCann and I were laughing. Who would do that? And was that even legal? What just happened? There was a lot of those. He wasn’t afraid of contact. He delivered some blows as well.”

Utley’s 76.2 BsR — a stat created by FanGraphs to be an “‘all encompassing baserunning statistic” — ranks him 13th all-time. His 45 “baserunning runs” — a stat created by Baseball Reference to calculate how many runs a player was better than average for all baserunning events — is sixth among all second basemen. Three of the five players ahead of him are all Hall of Famers.

The 12 players ahead of him in BsR averaged 730 stolen bases with all of them stealing at least 470 in their career. Utley had just 154. Only one player — Mickey Mantle — has more “baserunning runs” than Utley while also finishing his career with 154 or fewer steals. Utley ranks among baseball’s great baserunners despite not racking up steals. He was more than speed.

“It’s the guys who don’t take a pitch off,” said Ruben Amaro Jr., an assistant general manager when Utley and the Phillies won it all in 2008. “It’s the guys who concentrate. Their goal once they get on the basepaths is to score a run and they’ll do everything they can possibly do to score a run. That’s what Chase Utley did. He took advantage of every ability they had. He was a smart baserunner. He wasn’t the fastest, but his effort and awareness set him apart.”

Utley’s success on the basepaths started long before the game as he devoured scouting reports and studied tape. His intense preparation defined his career. Even during lean seasons — like when the 2015 Phillies lost 99 games in Utley’s final year in Philly — he obsessed over the little things.

“You know what outfielders throw well, you know what outfielders have a tough time going to their right vs. their left, you know the time in the game when you can push the envelope a little bit. You know you don’t want to make the third out on third base,” Utley said. “That’s all part of your due diligence work prior to the game.

“You know what pitchers give you a good opportunity to be successful to steal. You know what catchers throw well. You know what catchers back-pick a lot and the ones you can take a secondary lead on.”

Utley was so prepared that there was little that could surprise him. Even the team’s slugger hitting a baseball that spiked off home plate and lofted into the air. Utley neared third base as McBride grabbed the ball and tossed to first to retire Howard. Utley knew the Braves wouldn’t expect him to keep moving. So he did exactly that.

Braves first baseman Scott Thorman caught the throw from McBride and saw Utley sprinting to the plate. It was too late. Utley slid under the tag, always seeming to be a step ahead of the defense. Utley popped up, saw the umpire signal that he was safe, and put his head down as he walked to the dugout. It was a signature Utley play from the awareness to the aggressiveness to the lack of emotion. The joy was saved for Kalas.

“Chase Utley, you are The Man,” Kalas said. “Wow. What a baserunning play.”

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Utley was safe, the Phillies won, and he eventually learned that his baserunning earned him a nickname. Perhaps next it could make Utley a Hall of Famer.

“That phrase will live with me forever,” Utley said. “I had no idea at first. I would hear it, ‘Chase Utley, you’re The Man.’ You hear it once, no big deal. You hear it twice. You hear it three, four, five times. Wait, what am I missing here? I had no idea.”