Chase Utley Still in the Face Race
By Matt Veasey
The MLB Network’s 2015 “Face of MLB” fan vote is continuing, and soon Phillies fans will be able to help longtime favorite 2nd baseman Chase Utley continue to advance.
Utley won in the opening round of voting in a head-to-head matchup with division rival and former teammate Jayson Werth of the Washington Nationals. Chase won that vote in what was a somewhat surprising 59%-41% landslide.
The team nominee is decided by fan voting, and we here at TBOH conducted our own poll back at the end of December prior to the official MLB Network vote, asking fans to choose between Chase and Cole Hamels.
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The fans spoke, picking Utley by a 75%-25% margin, and so we here at TBOH threw our support outwardly to him. Utley was chosen in that official Phillies fan vote, advancing to become the team rep in the overall contest.
This is the 3rd straight season that Utley has represented the Fightin’ Phils in the contest. In 2013, Chase was eliminated in the first round byDiamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero. Last year, Utley dumped Rays 3rd baseman Evan Longoria in the first round, but was then eliminated in the round-of-16 by Mariners pitcher ‘King’ Felix Hernandez.
Chase takes on 2014 AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in next round of voting
(Photo Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)
This time around, Chase will take on the 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner from the Cleveland Indians, Corey Kluber, in the round-of-16. Will it be a 2nd straight season of getting knocked out by a pitching ace?
The vote in this round is coming soon. The Utley-Kluber matchup should take place by the end of this coming weekend, or early next week. If Chase wins, he would advance to face the Orioles star outfielder Adam Jones in the quarter-finals.
The defending champion, New York Mets 3rd baseman David Wright, is still alive. He takes on Cincinnati Reds 3rd baseman Todd Frazier in the other round-of-16 matchup. The winner there will take on the winner of the Jones-Utley/Kluber vote.
Stay tuned in with TBOH at our Twitter feed @FS_TBOH and at our Facebook page for the start of the round-of-16 voting, and for updates as the contest continues until selection of that 2015 Face of MLB.