BaseballHappenings.com

Chase Utley of the Phillies is showing he is the real deal in 2008. Well, we have known that a while now. Utley’s 2007 campaign and possible MVP were derailed by a HBP that had him on the DL which reduced his overall counting statistics. If you are counting now, Utley’s sweet stroke has him on 20 HRs which leads all Major League players . This all from a position not usually known for its hitting power. Its quite clear he is the better version of Jeff Kent’s reign of the 1990s, and looks almost certain to pass Davey Johnson’s single season record for a second baseman. His minor league career attempted to make him a 3B at one point, but in the end he was to be second baseman. Although, he was blocked at the position for several years by Tigers Placido Polanco. He arrived on the scene later than expected for a mashing second baseman. The thing i remember most about Utley is in his brief debut several years before getting the full time gig is he stroked a grand slam. Before the season Brett at Fantasy Phenoms asked me this question:

Brett Greenfield: If you were a MLB GM and building a team,
which player would you choose to build it around? How about
if you were a fantasy GM?

David Bloom: If I were building a team around a single player,
there would be certain criteria I would use. Number one, I’d be
building the team around a position player rather than a pitcher
because contributions from the position player arrive on an
everyday basis, rather than every fifth day with a stud starting
pitcher. Next, the player would be a player you could bat anywhere
in the lineup, and he could adjust accordingly to his role in the
lineup. Lastly, the player must be a leader on and off the field.
If I had to name a single player, I would go with David Wright
with the Mets. The thing about the Mets 3B is that he is such as
good hitter, and he has become a leader at such a young age. As a
fantasy team, I might go with Chase Utley for all the same reasons.
However, with Utley, he plays 2b and you usually don’t see that
type of production at such a scarce position. With Wright, Its
easier to find another good 3B, but with Utley, there is a big
drop off to find a similar player.