Source: thinkbluepc.com --- Sunday, December 31, 2017
Statistically, second baseman Chase Utley by no means had a season which will highlight his long list of achievements in the Baseball history books. Over 127 games in his 15th big league campaign, the UCLA product slashed .236/.324/.405 with eight home runs and 34 RBI for the Dodgers, basically as a secondary platoon partner to Logan Forsythe and often as a late-inning pinch hitter off the pine. Some folks who are numbers crunchers wondered why the Dodgers brought Utley back for 2017 in the first place. However, his leadership in the Los Angeles clubhouse was critical in the club’s deep run into the 2017 postseason. Ask anybody who follows Baseball what they think of Utley, and the first words usually murmured are “work ethic.” Even among opposing players, his reputation around the majors is unparalleled. Before Utley rejoined the Dodgers last winter on a one-year deal, skipper Dave Roberts went on record calling him “his favorite player of all-time”—unquestionably a strong sentiment from a Baseball guy who was always known for his own hard work on the field. Utley was extremely instrumental in the maturation process of young shortstop Corey Seager . Before games, they always played catch together. Consequently, they are known to have similar post-game rituals. And, they even share nearly identical workouts in the offseason. “I’m telling you, it’s his presence,” Seager said about Utley in October . “I don’t know. He just brings ...
from Baseball http://ift.tt/2CoBgg3
No comments:
Post a Comment