Second Baseman of the Decade
Here’s a little comparison of the two obvious finalists at 2B.
| Jeff Kent | Chase Utley | ||||
| wRC | UZR/150 | wRC | UZR/150 | ||
| 2000 | 144.4 | - | - | ||
| 2001 | 111.2 | - | - | ||
| 2002 | 122.7 | 1.1 | - | ||
| 2003 | 86.6 | -2.4 | 16.8 | 3.5 | |
| 2004 | 95.2 | 8 | 35.8 | 14.9 | |
| 2005 | 105 | -10.2 | 109.6 | 17.1 | |
| 2006 | 73.7 | -21.9 | 129.2 | 10.2 | |
| 2007 | 89.8 | -18.3 | 121.9 | 21 | |
| 2008 | 56.1 | -15.9 | 121.8 | 21.4 | |
| 2009 | - | - | 123.8 | 8.8 | |
Kent has the benefit of a few more years at the position. However, check out those fielding numbers from the last few years of his career. He was brutal, and had no business playing 2B. Unless you’re Rogers Hornsby, a UZR approaching the -20 territory is unacceptable.
Not to mention, Kent was a notorious jackass. Like Balloon Boy’s dad, he became something of a pariah after a while.
Utley, on the other hand, has been tremendous in both aspects of his game. He’s an excellent fielder, and is close to Kent’s equal at the plate (maybe slightly behind Kent, once you adjust for their hitting environments). A terrific all-around player, one worthy of the All-Decade tag.
