User:GhostRiver/chutley

Chase Cameron Utley (born December 17, 2018) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who spent 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played with the Philadelphia Phillies from 2003 to 2015 and with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2015 until his retirement in 2018. A six-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger, Utley won the World Series with the Phillies in 2008.

Minor league career
The Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected Utley in the first round, 15th overall, of the 2000 MLB Draft. He joined the team on July 29 for a signing bonus of $1.78 million and was assigned to the Class-A Short Season Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League (NYPL) to begin his professional baseball career. Utley had a difficult adjustment period in Batavia, unused to both the wooden bats of professional baseball and the pitching strength of his opponents, but he was able to recover by August: after hitting .319 with 10 doubles and 15 RBIs, the Phillies named Utley their minor league player of the month. Utley played in 40 NYPL games that summer, batting .307 with two home runs and 22 RBIs in the process.


 * 2001 Clearwater Phillies
 * 2002 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
 * 2003 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons

2003
Utley made his major league debut on April 4, 2003, at the Phillies' home of Veterans Stadium. He appeared as a pinch hitter for starting pitcher Joe Roa striking out against Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jeff Suppan in the third inning of an eventual 9–1 loss. In his second game and first MLB start, Utley hit a grand slam off of Aaron Cook of the Colorado Rockies, becoming the first player whose first major league hit was a grand slam since Creighton Gubanich in 1999. Utley was optioned back to Scranton on April 30 to clear room on the 25-man roster for Plácido Polanco, who was coming back from the disabled list. Utley was recalled again on August 14 as part of a larger roster shuffle: third baseman David Bell was physically able to resume baseball activities after a number of back and hip injuries, but needed more time to return to major league form, so Polanco was moved to third base and Utley took over at second.

2015
On August 19, 2015, one day after general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said it was likely that Utley would remain with the Phillies through the end of the season, Utley agreed to waive the no-trade clause in his Phillies contract and go to his hometown team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phillies acquired prospects Darnell Sweeney and John Richy from Los Angeles, while the Dodgers received an additional $4 million in cash to offset the $6 remaining on Utley's salary. The trade also meant a reunion for Utley with his longtime Philadelphia middle infield partner Jimmy Rollins. The Dodgers had struggled with aggressive baserunning throughout the season, and in Utley's first home game at Dodgers Stadium, he impressed his new teammates when, stationed at second base, he started running on a short bounce from batter Jason Hammel. A throwing error from opposing catcher Miguel Montero allowed Utley to score what ended up being the game-winning run in the Dodgers' victory over the Marlins.

The Dodgers' starting second baseman Howie Kendrick returned from the disabled list at about the same time as Justin Turner suffered an injury, and so on September 21, Utley played Turner's usual role of third baseman for the first time in his MLB career.

2017
On February 18, 2017, once Darin Ruf left the team to join the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization and opened a spot on the 40-man roster, Utley signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Dodgers. The offseason acquisition of younger second baseman Logan Forsythe from the Tampa Bay Rays had led to speculation that Utley would sign elsewhere, but he instead returned as a backup both for Forsythe and for first baseman Adrián González, who had experienced nagging back and neck injuries the previous season. When Forsythe fractured his toe in mid-April, Utley platooned second base with newcomer Chris Taylor, the latter facing left-handed pitching while Utley started against right-handed pitchers. González suffered an elbow injury during Forsythe's absence, pushing Utley to first base while Taylor became the Dodgers' everyday second baseman.

After an abysmal beginning to the 2017 season during which Utley batted only .098 by May 8, his offensive production increased through the remainder of May, partially due to his increased playing time and partially because the Dodgers faced more right-handed pitching. Between the start of May and the All-Star break, Utley posted a .253/.354/.455 slash line. He also recorded his 1,000th career RBI just before the break when he scored Joc Pederson on an eighth-inning double. The Dodgers finished that game with a 4–1 victory over the Kansas City Royals, while Utley became the ninth active MLB player at the time to reach the milestone. He appared in 127 games during the 2017 season, starting 68 at second base, 10 at first base, and three times as a designated hitter. At the plate, he batted .236 with eight home runs and 34 RBI in 309 at bats. In addition to his on-field performance, players including Forsythe, Corey Seager, and Ross Stripling praised Utley's clubhouse presence as a mentor and role model for his younger teammates.

(postseason goes here)

2018
Although Utley became a free agent after the 2017 season, he was vocal during the offseason about his desire to re-sign with the Dodgers. On February 17, 2018, he agreed to a two-year, $2 million contract with the organization. Third baseman Justin Turner fractured his wrist on a pitch from Kendall Graveman during a spring training game against the Oakland Athletics. In his stead, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts moved Logan Forsythe from second to third base and decided to platoon Utley and Enrique Hernández at second. Utley was officially named to the team's opening day roster on March 28, 2018. On April 18, he was hit by his 200th career pitch during a game against the Padres, becoming the eighth player in MLB history to reach that milestone.

Despite a strong start to the season, Utley struggled in May, batting only .137 for the month with a .381 OPS. On May 30, the Dodgers placed him on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb. He was activated from the disabled list for the Dodgers' June 22 game against the Mets at Citi Field, a game which the Dodgers won 5-2 on a grand slam from Cody Bellinger. Although he still had a year left on his contract with the Dodgers, Utley announced on July 13 that the 2018 season would be his last, as he was "ready to be a full-time dad". Turner was able to return from his fractured wrist at the start of August, and Utley was placed on the disabled list with left wrist inflammation to open a spot on the Dodgers' 25-man roster. He was one of several players activated when rosters expanded on September 1. After going 0 for 18 at the plate in the month of September, Utley played his final MLB game on September 30, striking out against San Francisco Giants pitcher Steven Okert in his sole at-bat. He was left off of the Dodgers' postseason roster but traveled with the team through their loss to the Boston Red Sox in Game 5 of the 2018 World Series. He batted .213 in 164 at-bats during his final season with the Dodgers, with one home run and 14 RBI in 87 games.

Personal life
Utley married his wife, Jennifer Cooper, in January 2007. They were introduced to each other by future National Football League (NFL) player Freddie Mitchell on Valentine's Day in 2000, when all three were undergraduate students at UCLA. Their first child, Benjamin Cooper Utley, was born on December 2, 2011.

Honors
The Florida State League inducted Utley into their Hall of Fame in 2020.