Chase Utley: L.A. Bound
By Brad Kelly
The unfortunate truth in all of sports is that it is a results based business, so when performance does not match expectations, ties are usually cut no matter what prestige a player may have with an organization.
Chase Utley has undoubtedly been not only a Philadelphia Phillies icon, but also an icon in all of Philly sports. He embodied the rough and tough nature that the Philly fans love and he left a huge mark during his 12 year Phillies career.
Fantasy owners and all fans are well acclimated with who Utley is and his accolades over the years. Utley had a run where he was not only the best fantasy second baseman in the league, but also a surefire 1st round pick.
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Like most players however, Chase Utley’s body began to break down when he hit the age of 30, and his numbers have never reverted back to his prime which is to be expected. Utley still has value, due to the position scarcity at 2B and the fact that he could still post a 15 HR/15 SB line.
Unfortunately, the 2015 season has been a nightmare season for Utley. He has battled nagging injuries all year and struggled mightily at the plate. On the season his stat line, .217/5 HR/30 RBI/3 SB, is hardly what we have come to expect from Utley even on the downswing of his career.
The silver lining though, has been the torrid stretch Utley has been on since his return from the D.L. Utley has been one of those players that will play though anything just to stay on the field, and I think his early season debacle was the result on him battling an injury he could not overcome without rest.
His D.L stint was due to an ankle injury causing him to miss 37 games. Once he has returned he has posted a, .484/1 HR/5 RBI/1.227 OPS line. One would think that the rest that Utley got during his D.L. stint allowed him to recover to the point where he could start producing at the level he expects of himself.
This hot stretch had to give the Dodgers some confidence as well in acquiring him. From a fantasy perspective, if Utley is available in your leagues I would pick him up.
The Dodgers clearly got Chase Utley for a reason, so I am sure he will be starting most nights. If we look around the infield, we see that there are a lot of bodies on the active roster. Adrian Gonzalez is locked in at 1B and I would assume that Justin Turner has done enough to keep the 3B gig.
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The leaves the Dodgers with Jimmy Rollins, Alex Guerrero, and Kike Hernandez left. (They designated Alberto Callaspo for assignment today). Also, keep in mind that Howie Kendrick is on the roster, but he will out until at least mid-September and there is no guarantee that he will even be back for the regular season.
Rollins should remain at SS, allowing the Dodgers to potentially use Enrique Hernandez to platoon in CF or RF in case Yasiel Puig goes on the D.L. Guerrero has basically been a bench bat all year, so his role probably will not change. Thus, all signs point to Utley getting majority of the playing time.
Utley is a decent gamble, as owners should hope that he can continue his hot streak as he is back in the midst of a playoff race and going back to where he was born. I also put faith in the fact that Utley had to ok any trade, and he basically handpicked the Dodgers to go to, so he should be comfortable there. He even owns a .320 AVG with 8 HR and 25 RBI in 37 games at Dodgers Stadium.
Utley makes for a fine MI or UTIL pickup off the waiver wire. But because of his name recognition, rival owners will start to take notice if Chase Utley continues to rake in L.A. Act now and hopefully ride Utley down a potential resurgence run.