Add base stealing to Utley's skills

CLEARWATER, Fla. - By the end of it - an 8-6 win over the Yankees that prolonged the World Series for 2 more nights - the sequence of events was long forgotten, overshadowed by the two home runs Chase Utley hit and the Game 6 they helped force. But while home runs might forever define this Phillies team and its All-Star second baseman, it is subtle moments like the ones that occurred in the third inning of Game 5 that bear a true testament to the Phillies' success.

Utley started the frame with a leadoff walk, stole second with Ryan Howard at the plate, then scampered the rest of the way home on a ground single by Jayson Werth.

"There's no doubt that Chase is a special player," Werth said, "He's a superstar, he's a perennial All-Star, but he doesn't lack in any dimension. He is as good a hitter as he is a fielder as he is a baserunner, as he is a teammate. He has all aspects."

From the power he displayed in the postseason to his refined offseason training regimen, there are plenty of reasons why many in the Phillies organization are giddy about Utley's prospects for the 2010 season. But just as impressive as his home-run potential is the way he has developed into one of the top baserunners in the National League.

Unlike teammate Jimmy Rollins, Utley has never stolen 40 bases in a season, has never manufactured a true steal of home, and has never possessed the fastest 60-yard time in the clubhouse. But he has "taken" 96 more bases than the average MLB player over the last 5 years, which, according to respected researcher John Dewan, is the highest total in the National League during that stretch (the Indians' Grady Sizemore is the only player who took more, with 104).

"He knows the situation," first-base coach Davey Lopes said. "He goes first-to-third, he goes second-to-home, he reads the ball well, all that kind of stuff . . . That's good baserunning. The ability to see things and react quickly to them, more so than maybe someone else, or wait until the ball is on a downward flight or hits the ground before they run."

Utley's dash from second to home on Werth's single in the World Series was nothing new - he did the same on 13 of 15 opportunities in the regular season. In fact, he took "extra" bases on 68 percent of his opportunities, the second-best percentage in the majors. He went first-to-third on a single 19 times, which led the majors. On 10 occasions, he went first-to-home on a double - think Howard's NLDS-clinching hit - which tied him with Emilio Bonifacio for the most in the majors.

"He's got tremendous instincts for the game," manager Charlie Manuel said. "He picks up a lot of things. He watches the game. Any edge he can get, a pitcher's move or something the pitcher is doing, or the way the infield is moving, believe me, he's got it."

Those instincts help explain why a player without blazing speed will enter the 2010 season having stolen 25 consecutive bases without being caught. Though Utley is limited by his spot in the order - steal second and the opponent might choose to walk Howard, as A.J. Burnett did in Game 5 - he still managed to steal a career-high 23 bases last season.

Considering that he started last season 5 months after hip surgery, and finished with a bruised foot that sidelined him for at least two games, Utley has the potential to join Rollins and Bobby Abreu as the only players in franchise history to finish a year with at least 30 steals and 30 home runs.

"I believe he's probably stronger and healthier now than he was last year," Lopes said. "If he wants to push himself to the point, with that mentality he had last year, he could probably steal 30."

And he might be able to do it in just 30 attempts. Including his 23-for-23 mark last season, Utley has converted 46 of 49 stolen-base attempts since 2007, for a major league-best 93.9 percent success rate.

"I think the one thing is that when he runs, I know he is going to be safe," Werth said. "He picks his spots real well. Just overall, he is a good baserunner. He's not out there just running to run. He doesn't make mistakes on the basepaths. He doesn't get a bad read. You just never see him make a mistake."

Another such player is Werth, who stole 20 bases last season and has converted 47 of 52 attempts since joining the Phillies in 2007. Along with Utley and the Mets' Carlos Beltran, Werth is one of only three major leaguers with at least 40 steals who has converted more than 90 percent of his attempts over the last two seasons.

Factor in Rollins, whose 87.5 percent conversion rate ranks in the top 10 during that span, and centerfielder Shane Victorino, and the Phillies have four players who have the potential to steal at least 30 bases.

Since 1913, only five clubs have achived that feat: the 1976 A's (six), 1985 Cardinals (five), and the 1999 Padres, 1983 Cardinals and the 1979 Astros (four each). Last year, the Phillies became the first team since the 2002 Marlins to boast four players with at least 20 steals, as well as the first team since the 1988 Mets to have three players with at least 20 steals and 20 home runs.

But as the third inning in Game 5 demonstrated, steals are just one measure of baserunning. Over the last 5 years, the Phillies have taken the second-most extra bases in the National League, according to Dewan's research. While their percentage of extra bases taken last year - 39 - ranked in the middle of the pack, they finished with just 44 outs-on-base, the fewest in the NL.

"I think it's something that the more you play, the better you become at it," Utley said. "You understand certain situations. It's an important part of the game, and I think we do a good job at it, but I think we can do a better job in the future."

Which, for a team that already ranks among the best in the majors, is an intriguing possibility.

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.