Chase Utley's Classy Farewell

“My plan is to stay a Phillie for life” -- Utley, July '08

To say that Utley will be missed is like saying you like your right arm.  Words cannot express what he represents or has meant to the organization or to baseball. 

My post on the Utley trade can be linked to here (and appears below):

Phils Play Judas to Beloved Utley. 

If you haven't read it, please do. 

Utley said this at his press conference on 8/8/13 when he re-signed with the team:

Utley never ceased his commitment to the team that cast him off.

“When Ruben first approached me about an extension, I told him I was up for it. I wanted to stay in this uniform, but I also wanted to be treated fairly,” Utley said during a press conference following the signing of his new contract to remain with the Phils. “I'm not trying to break the bank. I'm just trying to be treated fairly in the marketplace. It's a very fair deal for both sides. Like Ruben said, going to free agency, maybe I left a little bit of money on the table with this deal. But it's not about the money. It's about the commitment. There is no better place to play than here.”

Today's press conference announcing Chase Utley's departure from the organization can be watched here: http://www.csnphilly.com/video_content_type/chase-utleys-farewell-press-conference

The following is an excerpt from a 9/3/09 post on this blog celebrating Utley. 

After I published the post, the Phils soared through the post-season to the World Series, going back-to-back for the first time ever.  Utley tied the all-time single World Series home run mark that year with 5 vs. the Yankees.

Utley Plunked, Phils Win
 

It was their final regular season series against a playoff team this year, and the Phillies made it count. On Thursday, they won the deciding game in a good old fashioned pitchers duel, the kind baseball purists savor. The Phils didn't win the S.F. series with their famed bats, they did it with baseball fundamentals of dominant pitching and great defense.

Chase Utley was able to score the go-ahead run in the 6th, when he ran hard and well from 1st to home on a double by Howard, who drove in his 113th RBI on the play. Utley had reached base with 2-out by being plunked for the 18th MLB-leading time this year. Utley has led MLB in Hit-By-Pitch since 2006 (25 times in '07 and 27 in '08). Utley is the consummate gamer, who is the living definition of 'take one for the team' hard-play everyday.

"I think he is absolutely recognized as the gamer in our game," Phils president David Montgomery said. "I don't think there's any question about that."

Former teammates respect Utley for his easy professionalism: "He's not a pretty-boy style flashy player, he's old school. He just goes out and plays hard and continues to get better. It's nice to have guys like that on your team," says Giant's outfielder Aaron Rowand, who homered against his former team Thursday. "He's a gamer," adds Jim Thome, now playing for a title with the Dodgers. "The bigger the situation, he thrives on it. And you can't teach that. Either you have it or you don't."

"I've always been taught to play the game hard," says Utley. "Baseball is such a tough game, it really humbles you at times. You just have to try not to get too high or too low. The harder you play this game, the more you get out of it."

Utley is as smart a player as he is selfless. Case in point: His now legendary run-saving play in the clinching 5th game of the 2008 World Series. The game was tied at 3-3 with two outs in the top of the 7th when Utley got to Akinori Iwamura's bouncer up the middle. Utley faked to 1st, conceding a hit to Iwamura, and noticed that baserunner Jason Bartlett was rounding 3rd and heading home. Utley threw quickly to catcher Carlos Ruiz for the out at the plate. The Phils went ahead in the bottom of the inning and went on to win both the game, 4-3, and their 1st World Championship in 28 years.

"At times, he can put close to what you'd call a perfect swing on the ball," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "It's good balance, rhythm, load, and at the same time getting a ball that you'd like to hit. And just, very slight, underneath the center of the ball. He's a very stylish hitter... Utley’s one of the best players in the game. You sit and watch him day in and day out, and he consistently hits the ball hard. He’s a tremendous hitter."

Utley’s sweet left-handed swing is short, compact and generates a lot of power, although Utley (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) isn’t as big as most long-ball hitters. Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson observed: "I don't know if there's a perfect swing. But his is as close to it as you can be. He's amazing, one of the most amazing hitters I've ever seen."

George W. Bush, former U.S. President and former Texas Rangers owner, said he’d take Utley if he had his choice of anyone in the majors to build a team around.

John Dewan, author of "The Fielding Bible," regarded baseball's foremost authority on fielding, said in 2008:

"Utley leads major league second basemen with a plus-19 ranking. He has excellent range to his left and his right. He's so underrated," Dewan said. "People don't realize it, but his defense is as good as his offense" (more on "Why Chase Utley is so Good at 2B").

Utley was HBP in July of 2007 that broke his right hand, slowed his productivity and zapped his HR output. In his characteristically quiet, resilient manner, Utley shrugged it off: "As breaks go, it's not that bad of a break," Utley said. "It's definitely disappointing."

However, the injury cost him a likely NL MVP that season. The punishment absorbed by his body also affected Utley in 2008. When he played hurt for some time during a later stretch of the season, his numbers tailed off. Utley denied the injury until Pat Gillick eventually leaked his sore hip to the press: "He's having some trouble with his right hip," Gillick said. Utley remained the hero, telling reporters, "I have no idea what you're talking about." He went on to hit a key HR in the 1st game of the World Series, hip injury and all. Fitting for a guy whose 1st major-league hit was a grand-slam.

After the 2008 season, Utley acknowledged the injury, underwent surgery and was supposed to miss the first couple months of the 2009 season. However, both Utley and his manager knew better, counting him in all along. Utley opened the season with the team, hitting .342 with 7 HRs and 20 RBIs in April and has played in all but 3 of the team's games since.

In April, ESPN reported: "It's hard to tell what's more impressive: Utley playing 159 games and the entire 2008 postseason on a hip so sore it required surgery, or his ability to come back so quickly from an injury that was supposed to keep him out until May or even June. Utley's fast start comes as no surprise to the Phillies' people, who saw him arrive at Citizens Bank Park each day at 9 a.m. and stay until 2 or 3 p.m. during his winter rehab sessions."

 

“My plan is to stay a Phillie for life” --Chase Utley, July, 2008

 

Utley is ever the understated game-day performer. His humility is one of the defining characteristics of his greatness. The only time he uses his fame is in conjunction with wife Jennifer's charity efforts. He is so not a hot-dog in our modern day media circus world, where everyone, it seems, will do anything to get noticed. Utley prefers to go unnoticed. He simply wants to do his job to the best of his ability, injury or not, every day. He is old school in work ethic, effort and team-first mentality. Utley has been a NL All-Star Second Baseman for 5 straight years, and he led all player voting in June for the 2nd-straight year, which says a lot about how he is perceived and admired by baseball fans (more on this: Old School Player in Modern Times).

Utley's manager is among his admirers. In June of '07, Manuel had this to say about his nationally revered 2nd baseman: "What do you want me to say about him? I can't say enough. He is something really special. He's what I call a player. I used to say Kirby Puckett was my favorite player. I love Kirby Puckett, but Chase is getting there." 1 World Series title later, did Utley 'get there' for his manager, the way he has for the rest of us?

“I’ve never seen a guy as prepared as Chase,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “He’s always early, and he hits every day. He eats it and sleeps it. Puckett for me was the ideal baseball player until I met Chase,” Manuel said. “I see how Utley goes about his business day in and day out, how he prepares and how he plays. He’s tremendous — his dedication, his determination... I think he’s the best player I’ve been around, and I’ve been around a long time.”

Phils Play Judas to Beloved Utley

Are the lights dimming on the Utley era?

The Phillies are trying to crucify Chase Utley.  In the process they are martyring him for anyone who cares to pay attention. 

The Cubs tried to trade for him in July while he was still on the DL.  Utley swatted that deal.

The Angels thought they had a deal Friday, but it fell through, and they've since publicly bowed out of the running.

The Giants gave up Tuesday.

That leaves the Yankees and Dodgers among teams who've expressed interest.  Utley has expressed interest in California, where he's from and makes his offseason home.  However, more than anything and with unwavering consistency, Utley has expressed devout interest in remaining a Phillies player.

Some are speculating that the Phils are declaring the Utley trade rumors "off" to up the ante.  However, many are speculating that it's Utley himself blocking these trades.

Utley, 36, signed a two-year contract extension in 2013 with vesting options for 2016-18. After 13 years with the organization, he had hoped to remain in Philly for the remainder of his career, but will likely become a free agent at the end of the year.

Since returning from an ankle injury, Utley has gone 13 for 26 in seven games with five doubles, five RBIs and a home run. Across the entire season, he is hitting just .213 with a .332 slugging percentage.

Because of his 10-and-5 rights, Utley has the authority to veto any trade, and with his contract likely to expire at the end of the season, he may want to ride it out with the Phillies, where he can get the most playing time between now and the end of the season, especially with the injury to Mikail Franco.  Franco is on the 15-day DL with a fractured left wrist, so Cesar Hernandez will spend a lot of time at third base now.  That means only Freddy Galvis might miss at-bats with Utley in the infield and how much difference will that really make for a few weeks?

Utley has clearly stated that he wants to play next year and play as a regular, not a pinch-hitter or platoon player.  Utley will be a free agent at end of season and his value-- and consequently the likelihood that he will be an everyday starter for a MLB team-- will be determined by what he does over the final few weeks of this season. 

Utley would have been happy to remain a Phillies player.  In fact, he stated that was what he wanted.   He proved it in 2013 when he re-signed with the team.  He even reiterated it in February of this year:

“Obviously I’ve said it before, I really enjoy playing with this organization,” Utley said. “They’ve done a lot for me, personally, and put together some pretty good teams over the years. So I have a lot of respect for the people making decisions. If you go back and look at 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, ’11 — they always gave us a chance to win. We’ve had some great opportunities over the years and I respect that.

“For as much respect as I have for the organization, if they ever came to me and asked me [to consider a trade], I would have to listen, but I don’t think much will change.” --Utley, 2/23/15

Now, the Phillies are pushing him out.  Before this latest move to try to trade him, the Phillies held him out on the DL long enough to prevent him from playing enough games to trigger the "vesting option" in his contract that would have extended his contract through next year, keeping him in Philadelphia.

Utley's 5 HR in '09 tied the all-time mark in 1 World Series.

This seems callous if not cruel, to Utley, but also to fans.  Utley isn't Jonathan Papelbon, Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd or Ryan Howard.  The Phils sent the first 4 packing and tried desperately and publicly to get rid of Howard.  They even have offered to eat much of his millions just to be done with him.

With Papelbon, he had real star talent and trade value, but was blocking rookie Kenny Giles from taking over in the closer role.  Furthermore, Papelbon was unhappy in Philly and had said he wanted out publicly.  Ditto for Hamels.  Rollins and Byrd were veterans coming off successful seasons, who could command return while no longer served a higher purpose here.  Their work was done in Philly.  Rollins departure hurt, but his enthusiasm to embark on the next chapter of his career elsewhere made it easier to see him go.

Saying goodbye to Howard has been painful-- and ongoing.  He continues to diminish in skill and performance, while the Phils continue to be unsuccessful at finding him a suitor.  The result?  He eats up the middle of the order, while sucking down millions from the team.  Fans are left to mourn his shrinking image while being as surprised as management is scornful to see him in the lineup everyday.

However, Utley was an all-star starter just last year for the 6th time in his career.  Yes, it was based entirely on a torrid first half that catapulted him in fan votes (it helps that he is one of baseball's most popular figures nationwide).  However, he is swinging the bat really well right now.  As his manager, Ruben Amaro Jr. said this week:

"He's moving well.  His bat speed is very good. You can see his legs are underneath him. And it seems pretty clear that there was something going on in his ankle that was limiting him in some way, shape or form. He looks like he's pretty much a man on a mission."

More than all of this combined, he is one of the most beloved Phillies players of all-time.  He is a Philadelphia icon.  He is a reason people still trickle into Citizens Bank Park.

What are the Phillies truly gaining by trading him now, at this point?  The hope is they will get something in exchange for him.  They have already burned bridges by dipping into his pocket and taking millions away and freeing him up from his contract against his will via the whole extended DL stint.

So, at this point, if they have no intention of resigning him, which is clearly stated by their efforts to trade him in August, then trading him makes more sense than keeping him for a few more weeks to close out a season where they are baseball's worst team.

However, taking a step back, why did it come to this?  Why weren't they content, as he was-- significantly unlike Hamels, for example-- to have him play only for them and retire in a Phillies uniform. Would fans object to that?  What will management actually get in return for shedding themselves of Utley?  A prospect?  Likely, especially based on their track record in recent years, nothing worth mentioning.  In exchange, they are giving up a piece of team history and an opportunity to 'Derek Jeter' Utley, which is to enable him to remain, forevermore, a Philly player and icon, untarnished like Tony Gwynn for the Padres and Mike Schmidt for the Phils in a forgone era.  Utley wanted that.  Every indication is that he still does.  The Phillies soured on the marriage and are forcing Utley to split.  It doesn't seem right or fair to the player, his legacy or the fans and our devotion to the team.

When the going gets rough-- and this season they've hit rock bottom, we hope-- you stand by the flagships that call you home.  Utley is the one the Phils have left.  He beckons us to recall former years of glory.  His stoic, all out play and work ethic reminds us of why we love the game.  His commitment to the team is a commitment to us fans, a reminder that the future holds promise and that we should continue to believe in our team and our town.

The Phillies realize neither what they're doing nor the implications of who they're doing it to.