The Official Site of Chase Utley

Mon, Sep 8th 2008, 14:51

Before the majors, alum honed his swing at UCLA

Blair Angulo- The Daily Bruin

Before taking the field for pregame batting practice, Chase Utley sits calmly in a corner of the visitor’s clubhouse at Dodger Stadium. The former UCLA baseball standout and current Philadelphia Phillies star gazes at a computer screen, carefully analyzing video of the pitcher he would face later that night.

After he finishes scouting the opposition, Utley leaves the clubhouse and shifts focus to stretching his 6 foot, 1 inch, 200-pound frame – a steady routine that prepares him for all 162 games of the arduous baseball season.

Then Utley steps into the batting cage, where he showcases his smooth, compact swing. On this serene evening, Utley launches missiles into the spotless sky. Which, of course, is nothing new to the Southern California native.

High school standout

Utley, 29, was born in Pasadena but grew up in Long Beach. He started playing baseball at the age of 5, but never thought of it as a career until he reached high school.

“I think I started excelling a little bit when I was in high school, so that’s probably when it became a possibility,” Utley said.

At sports powerhouse Long Beach Polytechnic High School, Utley might not have been the best player on his team. For the first three years, current major leaguer Milton Bradley, a player Utley calls “one of the best” he has ever played with, was on the Poly roster.

Once Bradley was drafted, Utley took center stage, earning All-American honors as a senior by posting an impressive .525 average and hitting 12 home runs – numbers that would make any major-league scout salivate.

Sure enough, Utley – who was being recruited by the likes of Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, Oklahoma and UCLA – was drafted in the second round by the team he grew up rooting for: the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the modern world of mega signing bonuses and lucrative contracts, rarely do you see a player pass up such a high selection.

By opting for college, a player faces the possibility of injury and risks not being selected in the future. Utley took the road less traveled.

“I knew I wanted to attend UCLA when they started recruiting me,” Utley said. “Obviously, UCLA has a great sports tradition and a beautiful campus. It was kind of a no-brainer.”

Days in Westwood

A year after the Bruins reached the 1997 College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Utley arrived in Westwood as part of a highly regarded recruiting class. Among the newcomers was current major leaguer Garrett Atkins, who, like Utley, was drafted relatively high coming out of high school. The duo that spurned professional baseball in order to attend UCLA remains close to this day.

“I definitely keep in contact with Garrett throughout the year,” Utley said. “He’s one of my good friends. A lot of the relationships I still have are from my UCLA days.”

His days as a Bruin got off to a remarkable start.

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