The Silent Leader of the Phillies

On team layered with superstars and veterans, there is only one leader of the Phillies. He is not manager Charlie Manuel and he is not the oldest player in the game, Jamie Moyer. Jimmy Rollins might be the sparkplug and the most outspoken member of the team, but he is not the leader either. The silent leader of the Philadelphia Phillies, the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, can only be Chase Utley.

Chase Utley, the sweet-swinging lefty from UCLA, comes to the ballpark everyday and works as hard as any player in the game today. He studies film tirelessly and he perfects his short, sweet stroke. Even more, he focuses on improving his defense, which is perhaps the weakest part of his five-tool abilities. A heady veteran like Utley knows that every aspect of the game is equally important. But of course he has been playing like a veteran since the day he entered the league. After all, when's the last time you didn't see Utley sprint to first base on a ground-out? The star second baseman goes on about his business, with his silent leadership by example:

2005: 147 G, 39 2B, 28 HR, 105 RBI, .291 BA, .376 OBP, .540 SLG

2006: 160 G, 40 2B, 32 HR, 102 RBI, .309 BA, .379 OBP, .527 SLG

2007: 132 G, 48 2B, 22 HR, 103 RBI, .332 BA, .410 OBP, .566 SLG

2008: 159 G, 41 2B, 33 HR, 104 RBI, .292 BA, .380 OBP, .535 SLG

2009: 101 G, 20 2B, 23 HR, 70 RBI, .299 BA, .420 OBP, .546 SLG

Utley's leadership was never demonstrated more than when he underwent hip surgery over the offseason before the 2009 season. Experts predicted that Utley might be out until May or June or July. And even then, they claimed that Utley might not be the same this season. You might have thought, before the season started, that on August 3rd, the big news in Philadelphia would be the return of Chase. But 100-plus games into the season, Utley's injury seems like a distant memory as he compiles another ho-hum All-Star season. And he has played in all but two games this season. It was later revealed that Utley completed most of the second-half of 2008, barely able to walk with his hip injury.

But there is more to Philadelphia's silent leader than his work ethic. Since 2007, Utley has been hit by pitches 67 times. In the 2007 campaign, a pitch that struck him in the hand cost him nearly 30 games of the season, and possibly an MVP Award too. Yet, Utley remained in the game and tried to play through the pain. And in those 67 plate appearances that Utley sacrificed his body and his stats for the good of the team, he had all of zero mound-charges and zero ejections. He has been fined exactly zero times for yelling at the umpire or opposing pitcher. Like a true leader, Utley put his team before his ego.

Perhaps this silent leader is not what you want for your team, whichever team that may be. True, there might (and I emphasize might) be better players in baseball today. But it is hard to measure the intangibles of this guy. Just as recently as June 30th, with his team down 7-1, Utley faced off with Jonathan Sanchez of the Giants. The first pitch sailed up and in at Utley's head, to which he responded with a menacing stare back at the mound. The wise Utley purposefully stepped out on Sanchez later in the at-bat, shortly before homering. And though the Phillies would lose the game, Utley set the demeanor for the team: never back down.

If you have the privilege of watching Chase Utley everyday, you get to appreciate some of the finer points that make him the silent leader of the Phillies. After great performances, Utley is often honored with post-game interviews. Utley is humble, never spending much time to talk about himself, and he gives credit to the Phillies' opponents. But when asked about his teammates, Chase can go on and on about how great Cole Hamels pitches or how far Ryan Howard hits his homeruns. He exudes the qualities of a superhero, literally building up the people around him to realize greatness. And there, in the background of a championship-caliber baseball team, is its silent leader, Chase Utley.