Utley's raking with the bat, not the glove

Chase Utley, the second baseman for the Phillies is being touted as the very early leader in the 2008 MVP race. So I ran the numbers on him using the "Net Runs Above Average" system.

Indeed, he leads the Major Leagues in offensive runs created above the average a second baseman would create in the same number of outs. He has created 15.4 additional runs above average with his bat.

But I have also heard, on ESPN and elsewhere, that part of his MVP luster is his second base glove. That's not really been the case. His glove is pretty average.

He's had 53 balls hit into his zone, and has made 43 outs on those balls, and 7 extra outs on balls out of his zone. The average second baseman would have made 44 outs and 6 out of zone outs. So Utley's glove produced just under one out less than the average, which translates to .73 runs his glove has cost the Phillies.

Still, 14.9 net runs above average is pretty spectacular start. But he's done it mostly with the wood, not the leather.