Chase Utley will undergo arthroscopic right hip surgery next week, and is expected to miss 4 to 6 months, putting his early 2009 season in jeopardy. A 6-month recovery would have him returning in late-May or early June (gulp). I have written an article over at The Hardball Times that should be running today or tomorrow, that outlines the injury and gives some advice as to what to do with Utley next year.
It had been known by the Phillies organization in Spring Training last year that Utley was having pinching and discomfort in his right hip. So, while the news is definitely a jaw-dropper (especially if you look at his excellent overall performance this year), the symptoms were there - it was just that Utley didn’t publicly acknowledge it or talk about it much in private (excellent article by Bill Conlin at Philly.com). Plus, he was playing quite well. To perform at that high of a level through hip pain just goes to show exactly how good Utley really is. Not only that, but it shows how much of a lion-hearted champion he is.
While he had an excellent season from a cumulative standpoint, his slugging percentage declined markedly throughout the last three months of the season, despite a healthy (but un-Utley-like) batting average. The monthly splits for July, August, and September were significantly different when compared to the same months in 2007:
July ‘08: .443; July ‘07 .598
August ‘08: .477; August ‘07 .667
September ‘08: .443; September ‘07 .496
Remember, most of Utley’s power production came in April and May. His postseason was good, not great, as he scuffled to a .220 average (though he did have 3 HR and 9 RBI in 14 games).
While the news is potentially a big problem for the Phillies’ early part of the ‘09 season, it has even more of a negative effect on fantasy baseball managers. Keeper league owners who have already tabbed Utley simply have to suck it up, while those who an upcoming deadline for tabbing their keepers have a big decision to make. It also throws a monkey wrench in the draft boards, as it is uncertain at this time how long he will be out for.
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