In the 2009 World Series, the Phillies were seeking their second straight title and they faced the New York Yankees who won 103 games that season. The Phillies lost the series in six games and it was only thanks to Cliff Lee that it wasn’t a sweep. Well, Lee and the second baseman, Chase Utley, who in the Phillies two wins in that series, hit four homers and knocked in six runs. He hit a total of five round-trippers in that series and if his name already hadn’t been a house-hold name, it sure was now. Sure, Robinson Cano was a good young player and would eventually surpass Utley as the game’s best second baseman, but at that moment of time, there was no doubt who deserved that title.
Utley was drafted by the Phillies in the 1st round of the 2000 amateur draft. At the time, the Phillies were a laughing stock and were on their way to losing 97 games that season. Manager Terry Francona would get fired upon the season’s completion and while the team would miraculously win 86 games in 2001, there was a lot of work to do before the run of the late 2000s. Utley played well enough to make his Major League debut in April of 2003 and in his second game, against the Rockies, he did this:
By May of 2004, Utley was the starting second baseman and has yet to relinquish that spot. He quickly became a fan favorite due to his clutch performances and hard-nose playing style which Philadelphia fans value above all other characteristics.
Of course he was really good too and it wasn’t long before he was touted as the best second baseman in baseball. His power was a commodity that most second basemen don’t possess and yet between 2005 and 2009, Utley averaged 29 homers a season to go along with 7.9 WAR. His individual success, along with the addition of other talent, eventually led to team success and Phillies won five straight division crowns from 2007-2011. Following the World Series title in 2008, Utley may have gotten the loudest cheer of them all:
However, following his magnum opus in the ’09 World Series, Utley started to show some chinks in the armor. Injuries started to plague him, his knees in particular. During the stretch from ’10-’14, he only average 113 games a season and obviously his production followed suit, 13 homers, 60 RBI and his WAR was cut in half. Clearly, he wasn’t as much above average as he used to be. But he didn’t go anywhere. He was still the teams’ most popular player and while things didn’t always go his way, he gave 100% and that’s all that mattered to the fans.
Still, it was evident the skills had diminished. In 2014, he stayed healthy and played 155 games, but he still did not put up Utley-esque numbers. He got off to a miraculous start; through 18 games he was hitting .384, but by the All-Star break he was down to .294 and finished the year with a .270 mark with 11 homers and a .746 OPS.
Indeed, his pedestrian numbers paired with his durability arguably added salt to the wound for the Phillies because due to a clause in his contract, his salary went from $5 million to $15 million for 2015. The clause stipulated that if he spent less than 15 days on the DL because of his nagging knee injury, he would get the extra $10 million this season. The thought before 2014 that he would play 155 games seemed laughable, similar story with fellow former star Ryan Howard who stayed healthy throughout 2014.
Utley is in the final year of a two-year deal, however there are vesting options for ’16 and ’17 and he needs 500 plate appearances for the ’16 to kick in. He already has 94 plate appearances in 2015 so health pending, he could easily hit that number. What’s the big deal you may ask? There are worse people to have on your team than the best second baseman of the previous 10 years. Well take a look at his ’15 numbers so far before you make a declaration along those lines.
In his 94 plate appearances this year, the 36-year old is batting .108 (yes, you read that correctly) and has posted an OPS of .398. His four errors in the field are also concerning. Suffice to say, Utley is a shell of his former self and boy has it gone downhill quickly. Sure, he has not had great numbers the last several years, but it would be hard to say he’s been a liability, especially considering the other rabble on the roster.
However as it currently stands, he is in fact hurting this ball club that needs all the help it can get. His long-time legendary status is being compromised, much like Howard’s already has. Writers who are around the team on a regular basis have admitted that the clubhouse presence of Utley is not helping the team. His performance along with Howard’s so far, is clearly debilitating the rebuilding process of this team. Utley has been clear that he wants to remain a Phillie until he retires and the question might not be when the Phillies will finally cut ties, but rather when will he retire?
Utley has a no-trade clause in his contract so he can turn down any and all trades the Phillies involve him in. It’s possible a change of scenery for the veteran and even better, being thrust into a playoff run, might revitalize him once again, but it’s clear his Phillies days are numbered. However, if he can’t be convinced of that he might opt for retirement. There are not many players who enjoy embarrassing themselves in the final years of their career and “embarrassment” might be a generous term for what Utley has done so far in 2015. It would be an even sadder story if he sticks around and permanently harms his legacy.
