Chase Cameron Utley (born December 17, 1978 in Pasadena, California) is a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Utley graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School and later attended UCLA, where he played second base for the Bruins. In 2000, Utley was named the Outstanding Player of the NCAA Regionals and that same year, became the Phillies’ first pick (15th overall) in the June draft.
| Chase Utley | |
|---|---|
| File:Chaseutley.JPG | |
| Philadelphia Phillies – No. 26 | |
| Second base | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| April 4, 2003, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Career statistics (through September 23, 2006) | |
| Batting average | .288 |
| RBI | 277 |
| Home runs | 72 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
He is a homegrown product of the Phillies' farm system, having played with the Batavia Muckdogs (A-Short Season) in 2000, the Clearwater Phillies (A, now the Clearwater Threshers) in 2001, and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (AAA) in 2002-03. Although Utley mainly played second base during his time in the minor leagues, the Phillies organization attempted to convert him into a third baseman in order to bring him through the system faster. Consequently, he spend most of the 2002 season at third base, returning to second at spring training in 2003.
He made his major league debut in April 2003 with a single pinch at-bat, a grand slam, before being returned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the rest of the season. He was recalled by the Phillies again in August 2003 to replace Plácido Polanco at second base. (Polanco was moved to third to compensate for the loss of third baseman David Bell to the disabled list.) Utley recorded the final at-bat at Veterans Stadium by grounding into a game-ending double play on September 28, 2003.
Since becoming a permanent fixture to the Phillies roster, Utley has demonstrated versatility as a player. For example, during interleague play, Utley has sometimes covered first base to give former teammate Jim Thome and current first baseman Ryan Howard a rest from fielding or to allow them to fulfill the role of designated hitter. Utley platooned with Polanco at second base during the start of the 2005 season, whereupon it was becoming evident to management that Utley was the team’s future full-time second baseman. In June 2005, the Phillies traded Polanco to the Detroit Tigers for infielder Ugueth Urbina and reliever Ramón Martínez. As a full-time starter, Utley has established himself as one of the best-hitting second basemen in the National League. He has also proven his speed by stealing 16 bases in the 2005 season. As his fielding has improved, Utley is seen in combination with shortstop Jimmy Rollins as one of the better middle infields in the NL. Due to Utley’s youth and strong personality, he is also considered by many fans to be one of the future leaders of the team, alongside Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins.
Utley was a member of Team USA in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and was selected by fans as the starting NL second baseman for the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
During the 2006 season, Utley maintained a 35-game hitting streak—the second-longest streak in Phillies history behind teammate Jimmy Rollins, who hit for 38 straight games between 2005 and 2006 (36 games in 2005 and two in 2006). Utley tied Luis Castillo, who had a 35-game hitting streak in 2002, for the longest hitting streak by a second baseman. Utley’s streak was also the longest for a purely left-handed hitter since Tommy Holmes' 37-game streak in 1945. As a result, Utley was named National League Player of the Month for July 2006.
On September 24, 2006 Utley hit two home runs for a 10-7 win over the Florida Marlins; it was his seventh multi-home run game of the 2006 season, tying a franchise record set by Richie Allen in 1968 and tied by Ryan Howard in 2006.
| 2005 Multi-HR Games (5) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Against | Pitcher(s) | Venue | HR |
| 05.09.2005 | Milwaukee Brewers | Victor Santos & Derrick Turnbow | Miller Park | 2 |
| 08.26.2005 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Brad Halsey | Chase Field | 2 |
| 08.31.2005 | New York Mets | Pedro Martinez | Shea Stadium | 2 |
| 09.23.2005 | Cincinnati Reds | Aaron Harang & David Weathers | Great American Ball Park | 2 |
| 10.01.2005 | Washington Nationals | John Patterson & Joey Eischen | RFK Stadium | 2 |
| 2006 Multi-HR Games (7) | ||||
| Date | Against | Pitcher(s) | Venue | HR |
| 04.13.2006 | Atlanta Braves | Kyle Davies | Turner Field | 2 |
| 04.14.2006 | Colorado Rockies | Zach Day & Sun-Woo Kim | Coors Field | 2 |
| 05.05.2006 | San Francisco Giants | Matt Cain | Citizens Bank Park | 2 |
| 07.25.2006 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Miguel Batista & Jorge Julio | Citizens Bank Park | 2 |
| 09.02.2006 | Atlanta Braves | Oscar Villareal | Citizens Bank Park | 2 |
| 09.09.2006 | Florida Marlins | Brian Moehler | Dolphin Stadium | 2 |
| 09.24.2006 | Florida Marlins | Scott Olsen & Jose Garcia | Citizens Bank Park | 2 |
External links
- ESPN - profile and daily updates
- Baseball Reference - career statistics and analysis