Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide. Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether its keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.
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Fantasy Profile, Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies
Pos. Rank: 11, Captains Values $7.57
From 2005 to 2009, Chase Utley was the premier second basemen in all of baseball – Major League Baseball and in fantasy baseball as well. In many years his season of 2006 (32HRs, 102 RBIs, 131 Runs and an average of .309) would have merited serious consideration for MVP. But Utley did not receive a single first, second or third place vote, finishing in a tie for seventh place while teammate Ryan Howard won the award over Albert Pujols. His five year totals averaged 29 HRs, 110 Runs, 101 RBIs and 15 SBs. While his 2014 totals are passable for a major league, they are a far cry from his five year run beginning in 2005. In the last five years, many hampered by injuries, Utley has only 69 HRs and 301 RBIs.
Utley is furthered hampered by a team that cannot decide between rebuilding and reloading. GM Amaro’s reluctance to begin the re-building program two years ago has left the team in a state of flux. They still have two front line starting pitchers in Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, both of who could be traded, but they are saddled with Ryan Howard’s contract they cannot unload even if they agree to take a huge chunk of his salary. What you are left with in Chase Utley is one-time star with declining skills and statistics on a team with few other offensive threats. A projection of 13 HRs, 70 RBIs and 10 SBs seems reasonable. Utley can be a fall back option as he falls somewhere between the 10th and 15th best fantasy second basemen. But there are better younger options with greater upsides.
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