 The Phillies Resign Chase UtleyChase Utley is said to be over involved in the game. He is serious about baseball, no mistakes are taken for granted and no performance is too good for him. This is Chase Cameron Utley, the Phillies star player. Chase believes in playing the game tough, according to Chase it comes naturally for some, for others they have to work hard and pay attention. 
This 29yr old second baseman was born in Pasadena, CA on 17 Dec 1978. he is the eldeest of two siblings; he has a younger sister Taylor Ann. They are a close knit family, Chase’s father David is a lawyer. Chase had all the support and right encouragement from his parents for his baseball career. Chase went to Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and has wanted to be a Major League Baseball player since his school days. It was a dream that with his hard work and determination he would fulfill. In 997 the 19yr old faced a tough decision between accepting an offer to sign for an amateur draft or take a UCLA Scholarship. After some careful thought Chase opted for the UCLA scholarship not only because he wanted an academic degree but because he also wanted time to train himself and improve his game. Chase was looking forward to his college years expecting them to be easy going like his school years, but Chase was in for a surprise as he had to concentrate hard on both his studies and baseball practice simultaneously. This proved to be overwhelming, but Chase gave his best and completed his Sociology Major at UCLA and was the star player of the College World Series. Chase was drafted in the 1st round of 2000 amateur drafts on 5 June 2000 by the Philadelphia Phillies and signed his contract on 29 July 2000. The Minor League years were good for Chase. His outstanding performance in 2002 when he had 39 doubles set a team record got him the Paul Owens Award. Chase made his Major League debut on 4 April 2003 for the Philadelphia Phillies and played 43 games throughout the year with 32 hits, 2 home runs, 21 RBI’s and a batting average of .239. The young Chase impressed the fans with his performance and intense personality on the field and off the field. Chase continued his power pack performance and by the end of the 2005 season he had played 147 games with 158 hits, 28 home runs, 105 RBI’s and a batting average of .291. Chase had the good fortune of training with some of the best future Major League players and was now playing for his favorite team with some of the best Major League talent. Chase never missed an opportunity to learn and improve on his techniques and this humble attitude is one of the reasons for his popularity with his teammates and fans. Chase has two fan clubs that go by the name of “Utley’s Ugleys” and “Chase’s Chicks”. 2006 was arguably one of Chase’s best seasons with him playing 160 games through out the year with 203 hits, 32 home runs, 102 RBI’s and a batting average of .309. 2007 was another good year with Chase marrying his girlfriend Jennifer on 20 Jan 2007 and the Phillies, whom he had been playing for since 2000, re-signed him for 85 million dollars on a 7 year contract. Chase had a mixed 2007 season as he suffered a severe on field injury to his right hand and was on the disabled list for 15 days but he was back on form in August with his performance on the field which came as a relief both for his team and his fans. Chase ended the season playing 132 games with 176 hits, 22 home runs, 103 RBI’s and a batting average of .332. Awards And Accolades
July National League Player Of The Month All-Star
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