Initially drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1997 Amateur Draft out of Polytechnic High School, Chase Utley opted to attend UCLA, where he was drafted by the Phillies in 2000. Utley made his Major League debut on April 4, 2003. Only 20 days later, he recorded his first hit, poking a grand slam against the Colorado Rockies. Although Utley hit only .239 with two home runs in 134 at-bats that season, he showed the fans a glimpse of what was to come.
After a 13-home run campaign in a platoon role in 2004, Utley became the full-time starter in 2005 and began one of the best five-year stretches by a second baseman in the history of the game.
He started a string of four seasons of at least 100 RBI and hit at least 20 home runs in five consecutive seasons, surpassing the 30 home run mark three times. In addition, Utley made five straight All-Star teams and won the Silver Slugger Award each season from 2006 through 2009.
On pace for a certain Hall of Fame career, injuries started to hamper Utley. He was limited to just 115 games in 2010, 103 in 2011 and 83 in 2012. As a result, his production fell to 38 home runs and 154 RBI over that span. Utley bounced back somewhat over the next two seasons, hitting 18 home runs with a .284 average in 2013 and his final All-Star appearance in 2014, hitting 36 doubles and knocking in 78 runs.
Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015, Utley was a shell of the player he was during his prime. His finest game during his last few seasons was perhaps his first game back in Philadelphia. He went deep, not once, but twice including a grand slam and received long standing ovations and curtain calls on both occasions.
Appreciating the Phillies fans as much as they appreciated him, Utley announced he would retire at the end of the 2018 well in advance of his last trip to Philadelphia. Utley retired with 259 home runs, 1,025 RBI, 1,103 runs and one of the top stolen base percentages in league history.
As for his ranks with the Phillies, Utley is fifth doubles, sixth in home runs, sixth in runs scored and seventh in RBI. Undoubtedly the best second baseman in franchise history, Utley is also one of the most beloved. His nearly 90-second standing ovation prior to his first at-bat in his return to Philadelphia is a testament to that.
The Phillies will honor Utley in a ceremony next summer. Although no longer to set foot on the field as a player, Chase Utley will always be “The Man” in Philadelphia.