Chase
Cameron Utley (born December 17, 1978) is an American professional baseball
second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). A
native of the Greater Los Angeles area, he grew up in Long Beach, California,
and attended UCLA. Utley played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2003
to 2015 prior to being traded to the Dodgers. He is a six-time All-Star, won a
World Series with the Phillies in 2008, and was chosen as the second baseman on
the Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team for the 2000s. He bats left-handed and
throws right-handed.
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| Chase Utley Biography |
After
becoming a permanent fixture as the Phillies' second baseman, Utley
demonstrated versatility, spending some time at first base as well. As his
fielding has improved over his career, Utley was seen in combination with Jimmy
Rollins as one of the best middle-infield combinations in the NL, until Rollins
was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in winter of 2014. Utley was considered
by fans to be a team leader of the Phillies, alongside Rollins and Ryan Howard.
Utley was known for his quiet understated demeanor, instead setting an example
for teammates with his exhaustive preparation in the video room and the batting
cage. Utley's seven career World Series home runs are the most for a second baseman,
and he shares the single-series postseason record of five home runs with Reggie
Jackson. He is also noteworthy for having participated in seven no-hitters, of
which he was on the winning side in four.
Early
Life
Utley
was born in Pasadena, California. He was raised in Long Beach, California, and
played baseball at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and at the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for the UCLA Bruins.[7] In high school, his
coach said that Utley had "the fastest hands he had ever seen on a high
school player." He hit over .500 his senior year, with a slugging
percentage of over 1.000 and struck out just twice in 80 at bats. and earned
high school All-American honors. He also set a school single-season record with
14 home runs Utley was drafted in the second round of the 1997 Major League
Baseball draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 76th pick, but turned down a
$850,000 offer by the Dodgers to attend UCLA. A star shortstop in high school,
the Bruins instead moved him to second base because his arm strength was more
of a liability at shortstop. He hit .382 with 22 home runs as a junior at UCLA
in 2000[10] while leading the Bruins to the NCAA Super Regionals. He was
selected to the All-Pac-10 team and the Sporting News and National Collegiate
Baseball Writers first team All-American teams.
Utley
also played in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Cotuit Kettleers, an
amateur baseball team, in 1999 while he was still attending UCLA
Early
career
Utley
was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round (15th pick) of the
2000 amateur draft. The Phillies scouting director said he was a combination of
Jeff Kent and Adam Kennedy.[11] He signed on July 29, 2000 for a $1,780,000
signing bonus.
Utley
played for the Phillies' farm system with the Batavia Muckdogs of the Class
A-Short Season New York–Penn League in 2000, the Clearwater Phillies of the
Class A-Advanced Florida State League in 2001, and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
Red Barons of the Class AAA International League in 2002 and 2003. He was
selected to the All-Star Futures Game in 2001and made the International League
post-season all-star team in 2003
Chase Utley Personal
life
Utley
met his wife, Jennifer, while they were undergrads at UCLA. They married in
January 2007 and have two children.They reside in Sausalito, California during
the offseason.The couple are avid animal lovers, having raised over $45,000 for
the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Utley
appeared on behalf of PETA in their "Adopt Don't Buy" video,
encouraging people to find companion animals at shelters.
His
batter introductory music in Philadelphia was the song "Kashmir" by
Led Zeppelin.Utley appeared alongside teammate Ryan Howard as himself on the
2010 episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia "The Gang Gets Stranded
in the Woods". On September 3, 2013, Utley responded to a letter written
by Mac from the show years earlier.
[] WIKIPEDIA
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Chase Utley
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