6-time All-Star, World Series champ Chase Utley reportedly retiring
One of the toughest players in baseball over the last 20 years is apparently calling it quits.
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced six-time All-Star Chase Utley is holding a press conference Friday afternoon, and multiple reports say he will announce his retirement effective at the end of the season.
The 39-year-old has been one of the most prolific second basemen in the majors, producing five straight seasons with at least 93 RBIs.
Utley was considered the heartbeat of the Phillies teams that won the World Series in 2008 and lost in 2009.
In that defeat to the Yankees, Utley hit five home runs.
His performance began to tail off due to chronic knee problems.
So Utley & @Dodgers holding at press conference at 3:15 pacific time. Not a common thing for Utley to do. It appears as though "the man" or the "silver fox" is announcing his retirement. Has dealt with some injuries this year. The game & fans will miss him! pic.twitter.com/Z2YbHG3155
— Amy Fadool Kane (@amyfadoolNBCS) July 13, 2018
As the Phillies’ championship team began to crumble, Utley finally agreed to a trade, but only to his native West Coast.
He was dealt to the Dodgers, where he’s played parts of four seasons.
Prior to spring training Utley signed a two-year contract extension, with LA valuing the grit and leadership on a young team.
Never one to seek the spotlight, it seems that Utley wants to end speculation about his future before it starts.
Chase Utley will be announcing his retirement at the end of the season, as @Joelsherman1 said. Despite the press conference, it's actually very on-brand for Utley: wants to talk about it once, then not have to address it again going forward.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 13, 2018
Ironically, Utley will have to speak at least one more time after Friday about his future; the Dodgers travel for their only trip to Philadelphia — where Utley is still beloved — after the All-Star break.
While some superstars would have trouble watching their numbers decline, Utley cared about one thing — winning.
He spoke with Bob Nightengale of USA Today back in March.
“I don’t know what I would have done,” he said. “I love baseball, I love the competition, but it’s all about winning. It’s hard to answer that question, but maybe it would have changed things.’’
ESPN’s Justin Havens points out just how dominant Utley was during the prime of his career.
From the 10-season span across 2005-14, Utley ranked as the 2nd-best position player in the game behind Pujols, per @baseball_ref pic.twitter.com/m4DQPcz277
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) July 13, 2018
As good as he was, Utley might fall short of the Hall of Fame, partly because of the fact that he didn’t become an everyday player until he was 25 years old, and also because his prime wasn’t as long as other players’.
Still, there’s no question that when it came to making a difference for his teams, Chase Utley more than fit the bill.
With the Dodgers going for their sixth consecutive NL West title and trying to win their first World Series in 30 years, we have a feeling that Utley will play a role in whatever success they have.
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