Chase Utley

Entering 2016, if you said Utley would get the second-most playing time he's had in a season since 2009, you would have been asked for a urine test, but that's exactly what happened as injuries and struggling teammates paved the way for the veteran second baseman to appear in 138 contests. It helped that Utley bounced back versus right-handed pitching as his demise versus southpaws worsened. With a righty on the hill, Utley sported a respectable .809 OPS, including 10 of his 14 homers. Against southpaws, he fanned 29 percent of the time, pushing his overall contact rate below 80 percent for the first time of his illustrious career. There's a chance Utley can survive another year in a platoon role, but with declining plate skills, mediocre power with almost no speed, Utley's best chance to be a fantasy asset is in a single league format. With middle infield so plush, mixed leaguers are better served to find someone with upside. However, he re-signed with the Dodgers over the offseason, and with Logan Forsythe expected to amass most of the innings at second base, Utley seems to be destined for a normal reserve infield role heading into 2017.

The inevitable decline that began in 2014 accelerated quickly in 2015, as the 37 year-old Utley batted just .212/.286/.343 with career lows in home runs (eight) and stolen bases (four). Mets fans of course will remember him more for the "slide" that took out Ruben Tejada in the playoffs, and after signing a one-year deal with the Dodgers this offseason to occupy a bench role, Utley is clearly nearing the end of a near Hall-of-Fame career. We could hope that his 2015 .236 BABIP will result in a turnaround of his batting average, but given the decline in his walk rate to 7.6% last year as well as the effects of age, expecting a rebound to even close to his 2014 season (.270-11-78) is wishful thinking. Utley appears woefully inadequate against LHP (.196 in 2015), meaning at best, he'll get the occasional start against a righty. With Howie Kendrick and Enrique Hernandez on board as well, Utley is unlikely to see enough playing time to be useful in the vast majority of formats.

For a second straight year, Utley managed to avoid missing any time because of his degenerative knee condition. He got off to an excellent start in the first half of the season, but wore down and hit just .235/.323/.350 with three of his 11 home runs after the All-Star break. There were whispers that Utley's poor second half numbers were due to the extensive workout routine he goes through the entire offseason to ensure his knees can hold up for a whole season. Perhaps the team will consider giving Utley a little more time off this season to help keep him strong throughout the year. With a little rest and a likely rebound in his HR/FB rate back toward his more recent career rate, it would not be a surprise to see Utley surpass his home run total from last season. At 36 years old, Utley is no longer the star he once was, but he can still be a productive fantasy option at second base.

Utley surpassed 450 at-bats last season for the first time since 2009. He managed to avoid missing time because of his degenerative knee condition, but he did miss a few games with an oblique strain. Utley also had a bit of a resurgance at the plate with his highest batting average, home run and RBI totals since 2009, his last season of elite production. He has not returned to an elite level and will not produce at that type of level again now that he is moving into the latter years of his career, but Utley has re-established himself as one of the better fantasy options at second base. Given his recent history, however, it's very difficult to bet on Utley staying healthy for an entire season, and owning him typically requires the acquistion of a well-planned fallback option.

Utley missed the first three months of last season due to patellar tendinitis in his left knee. He suffered from the same problem in his right knee in 2011, which caused him to miss two months that year. His numbers at the plate have fallen off from his All-Star level, but there are signs that Utley can still be a better-than-average fantasy second baseman provided his knees don't prevent him from getting on the field. His contact rate remains solid and his eye at the plate is also strong. He even stole 11 bases last season despite the knee concerns. Utley's power numbers are unlikely to return to his peak levels, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect 20 home runs if he stays on the field for a full season. Utley said he would work on strengthening his legs during the offseason, which he hasn't been able to do the last few years because of his knee problems. That will help him maintain his productivity later in the season - something that has been a problem for him the past two seasons. The Phillies also toyed with the idea of moving Utley to third base last season to cut down on the strain on his knees. For now, it appears that plan has been shelved. Utley is certainly a player with plenty of injury risk, but that risk also figures to push down his price in drafts and may present a solid buying opportunity.

Utley missed the first 47 games of last season with patellar tendinitis in his knee and then played through the injury for the rest of the season. His numbers took a hit due to the decreased number of at-bats, but he also posted his lowest batting average since his 2003 season. There are some positive signs despite Utley's recent injury problems. His BABIP was much lower than his career average last season, leaving us to believe there is a good chance we see a rebound there. He also managed to swipe 14 bags despite playing through a knee problem, and he'll continue to hit near the top of an above average offensive lineup in Philadelphia. Utley's HR/FB rate was also well below his established career rate last season, but the knee issue could be partly to blame for that as he was unable to do strengthening exercises on his legs in order to avoid aggravating his knee injury. Utley's knee makes him a risky bet moving forward as he could be forced to go under the knife if his stretching program fails to get him through another season. He is also a risk to see his production drop in the second half if leg strengthening exercises can't be incorporated into his workouts.

Utley missed a significant chunk of time last season with a severely sprained thumb. That injury took a toll on his counting stats, but he may not have topped 30 home runs or 20 steals even if he had played the whole year. Utley is no longer the premier second baseman in baseball, but he remains one of the better fantasy options at the position. He still has a good eye at the plate, and if he stays healthy the power should return. We wouldn't expect him to swipe more than 20 bags again in a season, however. He's still a fine investment in fantasy drafts at a fairly thin position.

Utley showed no ill effects from hip surgery that he had prior to the 2009 season and showed why he is considered one of the best, if not the best, second baseman in the game. His power numbers were right in line with his 2008 output and he stole a career-high 23 bases. He benefits from hitting in front of a run producer in Ryan Howard and behind two players, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, who get on base and have the speed to get into scoring position. The Phillies' top six hitters will all be returning in 2010 and there is little reason to believe the team won't score a ton of runs again this year. Another 20-plus steal season may not be on tap this year but another performance justifying a high draft pick should be expected from Utley again this season.

Having finished with a .292 batting average, 33 home runs, 104 RBI, 114 runs and 15 stolen bases, Utley would have been a borderline first-rounder and probably the top-ranked second baseman had it not been for the hip surgery he underwent in late November. He was given a four-to-six month timetable for recovery at the time of his procedure and, as it stands now, will likely miss the first month of the season and could be sidelined into May. The speediness of his recovery will be one to keep a keen eye on throughout spring training, as owners should be as up-to-date as possible regarding Utley’s status on draft day to correctly determine what he'll actually be able to provide this season.

Utley continued his dominance as perhaps the best second baseman in baseball. Even though he missed a month of the season with a hand injury, Utley had a career-high .322 batting average, .410 on-base percentage and his power numbers stayed relatively consistent. Utley stroked a career-high 48 doubles and 22 homers to go along with his 103 RBI's. Expect him to keep up the impressive production next season while manning the middle of the Phillies' potent lineup.

Utley continued his emergence as perhaps the best second baseman in baseball. In 2006, he reached career highs in average, home runs, runs, hits and extra-base hits. Interestingly, his OPS was actually lower than in 2005—he simply played 13 more games in 2006 to rack up more numbers. Utley uses a compact, strong swing and waits on pitches extremely well. He is primarily a pull hitter for power but will spray the ball when he feels overpowered. Nothing but blue skies ahead as long as he stays healthy.

Utley took a giant leap forward last year to post the best OPS, .915, of all regular major league second basemen. He hit for good average and power in the first half (.303, 11 HR) and even more power in the second (.280, 17 HR). But wait, there's more: He improved his batting eye, stole 16 bases and made strides on hitting lefthanders (.220, .823 OPS) after starting the year slowly against them. Even if Utley performs at 80 percent of these levels, he'll be valuable.

Utley graduated to the majors in 2004 with style, showing good contact, power and defense at second base. He struggled against lefthanders (.200) and could stand to draw more walks. He might be pushed to third base down the road by a prospect, or if his defense becomes a problem. Barring injury or a spring-training meltdown, he will be the Phillies' second baseman, and will be a good one.

Utley took advantage of the injuries to Placido Polanco and David Bell to get a number of starts late in the season. Utley led the Phillies' minor league system in batting average at .323. He might see more time next season if Bell continues to struggle or can't recover from the back injuries that sidelined him last year.

In 2002, Utley, 23, jumped a level to Class AAA Scranton and also switched positions from second base to third as the club hoped he would eventually replace Scott Rolen. That was before the Phillies signed David Bell. Utley will probably shift back to second base. For Scranton, he hit .263 with 17 homers and 70 RBI in 464 AB and stole eight bases. He's been tearing it up at the Arizona Fall League (.350, four homers, 15 RBI, a .393 OBP and .575 SLG in 80 at-bats), but demonstrated that third base would always be a challenge defensively. He'll get some more minor league at-bats in AAA, and eventually get the call to the bigs. Utley's name has come up in trade talks, but the Phillies claim he's unavailable.