Chase Utley Injury: Phillies Are Doomed Without Star Second Baseman
March 20, 2012 by Adam Wells
Filed under Fan News
Chase Utley‘s career is going to be more about what could have been instead of what was, and the Philadelphia Phillies are going to suffer as a result.
In what has become a common theme with Utley, it was announced by Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. on Monday that the All-Star second baseman is doubtful for Opening Day due to chronic knee problems that sent him to a specialist.
“I worry about Chase because it’s a chronic knee problem. About his career? I don’t know…The guy’s got bad knees. We know it. That’s a fact. We’re just trying to limit and make sure he’s ready to go and feeling comfortable for the bulk of the season.”
The Phillies had enough problems to worry about on offense this season, adding Utley to the list only makes things worse.
When healthy, Utley is a game-changer. He was one of the best all-around second basemen in baseball, showing the ability to hit for average and power while playing Gold Glove defense. There was a time when he was one of the 10 best players in the game.
Even though he has fallen off that perch due to the injury problems, Utley is still the most important player in the Phillies’ lineup. He brings the power and patience to the lineup that no one else can match; not Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, et al.
Yes, the Phillies are going to be carried by their pitching staff. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels can hide a lot of other problems that a team has, but they are only going to get you so far.
Last season, the Phillies lost to St. Louis in the National League Division Series because they couldn’t score runs.
Utley’s presence in the lineup and on the field changes what the Phillies are able to do. Losing him for a significant amount of time is going to destroy any hopes they have to get back to the World Series, let alone win it.
The Phillies need Utley to figure out a way to remain healthy for 110-120 regular-season games and be in top condition when the playoffs roll around. He is their most valuable player when healthy, but right now, it doesn’t seem like he is going to be anytime soon.
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