Are You The Man, Chase?

What the hell is wrong with Utley?

by E. James Beale

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Published: Sep 8, 2010

Right up until the 2009 edition of the All-Star Game, Chase Utley was, in the words of the late Harry Kalas, “The Man.” He had been on a run of five-straight All-Star appearances, had received MVP votes in every season he played as a regular and collected Silver Slugger awards (four years running) as if they were his birthright. Legions of Phillies fans donned his No. 26 jersey, shouted his name adoringly, and counted him among the best players alive, which he was.

Since then, things have played out a little differently. Phillies’ fans still blindly adore him, but the rest has been turned on its head. After hitting just .246 post-break last season, Utley is mired at .273 in 2010. For longer than you probably believe, Chase’s average has been, well, average. He hasn’t hit .280 in a single month this year, he hasn’t hit .280 against lefties or righties, and he hasn’t hit .280 in any spot in the order. As of press time he has fewer home runs than Rockies journeyman Miguel Olivo, a defensive catcher in a platoon. Teams are noticing. From the beginning of the 2008 season to that 2009 All-Star Game, Utley was walked intentionally 17 times. Since? Twice. In 2010, Pat Burrell, who the Phillies unceremoniously let go and the Rays outright cut, has been every bit the offensive player as his former partner-in-crime.

So what happened? How come Philly’s Golden Boy has been playing like someone upped the level from “pro” to “All Madden”? Is he hurt? Washed up? Or about to silence the naysayers? Let’s find out.

For years, Utley has played through injuries that he denies in-season, and then gets surgically repaired afterward. That means that fans are quick to assume that any slump is associated with some hidden injury, and Chase’s recent cold streak is no exception.

Since returning from the disabled list weeks earlier than expected, Chase’s mechanics are still slightly off. If you focus on his right foot during a swing, you may notice that he’s actively twisting it backward toward the plate, instead of letting it adjust naturally. It’s a trick to create power — and while it is definitive proof of exactly nothing, it is a noticeable change from his MVP contender years, when he would never have needed that added boost.

If this theory is true, it could be a gloomy fall for the Phils’ faithful.

 

One other reason that everyone assumes that Chase Utley is always hiding an injury is simple: He usually is. Fans respect this toughness; still, it isn’t absurd to suggest that a series of injuries is more than merely an inconvenience that every thirtysomething second baseman just necessarily bounces back from.

Considering that nearly all of Utley’s value is derived from his Bugatti bat speed, if any of his myriad injuries and surgeries have permanently taken any of that speed away, it’s possible, perhaps probable, that he’ll never be the same. Maybe Chase Utley is what he is, and his handful of gray hairs isn’t a reminder of all the time he’s been with Philadelphia, but rather of the time he has left.
If this theory is true it could be a gloomy next couple years for the Phils’ faithful.

Charlie Manuel, though, is more confident. “The only thing wrong with Chase,” Uncle Cholly explained to reporters last week, “is he missed six or seven weeks. It’s like spring training all over.”

There is evidence to support this. Last Tuesday, a night full of good-looking swings netted Utley two hits; he followed that with three doubles in the next, and with his first home run since June 18 — part of a two-hit, six-RBI outing — the game after. 

For one three-game stretch Chase showed that he can hit the ball hard, to all fields and appear good doing so. He looked to be back. So, maybe nothing is wrong. Maybe Utley’s recent weak play has been simply him playing himself back into shape, and now, finally healthy, he’s ready to lead the Phils back to their second WFC.

If this theory is true it could be a gloomy October for the rest of the league.

We’ll soon find out which of these theories is true. Off the DL and with the slump busted, over the last month of the 2010 season Chase Utley can now show the city which Chase Utley he really is — the injury-prone thirtysomething or the perennial MVP candidate whose hard work and incalculable talent has earned him a fan’s pass in a city that doesn’t historically give them out.

In other words, Chase Utley: Are you The Man?

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