He could have been a Dodger...

[jiminphilly]

by: Rich Lederer at baseballanalysts.com

Congratulations to Chase Utley, who extended his hitting streak to 31 games on Sunday. The Phillies second baseman has now hit in more consecutive games than any other player this year.

I have a special affinity toward Utley. Chase and my son Joe played youth baseball for Long Beach Little League. Joe played on the Dodgers. Chase played for the Pirates. One of Chase's teammates was Sean Burroughs, who just may be the best Little League player ever. Joe and Chase are two years older than Sean and neither played on the LBLL All-Star teams that Burroughs spearheaded to World Championships in 1992 and 1993.

My son's team was coached by a real estate agent and me. The Pirates were coached by an attorney and Sean's dad, Jeff, the 1974 AL MVP. Needless to say, the Dodgers never beat the Pirates in those years. Jeff was a terrific coach and the Pirates had more talent than the rest of the league combined.

I can remember Utley's tryout like it was yesterday. You could tell that he was special. Everything Chase did stood out. He roped a handful of line drives from the right side, then crossed over the plate and repeated the same feat from the left side. The kid had star written all over him.

Utley prepped at Long Beach Poly High School (hitting .525 with 12 home runs his senior year in one of the toughest leagues in the country) and was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round (76th overall) of the 1997 amateur draft. He turned down a large signing bonus from his hometown team, played three seasons at UCLA (earning All-American honors his junior year), and was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round (15th overall) in the 2000 draft. He signed that summer, hit over .300 in low-A, advanced to high-A in 2001 and triple-A in 2002. Utley tore up the International League the second time through in 2003 and got called up to the majors that summer.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder was one of the best-hitting middle infielders in 2005 and has become one of the best hitters period this year. A fan favorite, Utley's makeup is off the charts. He plays hard all the time, running out groundballs and hustling in the field and on the basepaths. Chase is well-liked and respected by his teammates, as well as those of us who were fortunate to witness his beginnings.

The Phillies season may be all but over but watching this guy play and hit the way he does is awesome. He along with Ryan Howard are the only 2 reasons I still try and catch a game. He has the ability to hit just about any pitch and get a hit out of it.

[The Assassin]

They woulda traded him away for some overrated infielder anyways ala Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields

[battery chucka' one]

They woulda traded him away for some overrated infielder anyways ala Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields

Do I need to comment? Well, at least your boys didn't trade an 'in his prime' closer to be, a future all-star/hot shot front line starter, and a probably future star in exchange for a one year lease of a catcher with a bad attitude who doubles as a cancer in your clubhouse, doesn't want to help your pitching staff, and whose only contribution for your team is that he goes on to set a National League record for GIDP by a left handed hitter. Yeah, at least you don't have to wear that one around your neck. ;)