PHILADELPHIA — Slumping second baseman Chase Utley was given the day off Thursday, and the question now is whether he has worn down and if so, what to do about it in the future — if, for example, a position switch might be in order.
Utley, who turns 36 in December, hit .293 in 91 games before the All-Star break, with eight homers, 46 RBIs and a .445 slugging percentage. In 47 games since, he is hitting .237 with three homers, 29 RBIs and a .356 slugging percentage.
“They talk about him keeping his legs underneath him, and whether he wears down with the leg power,” Sandberg said. “I don’t know, I still see good batting practices from him. It’s hard to tell.”
Sandberg also believes Utley continues to grind out quality at-bats, while allowing that it’s hard for any player to remain in peak condition over the long haul, much less a guy that plays as hard as Utley does.
Sandberg was then asked whether a move to first base would benefit Utley.
“I think playing first base would eliminate a little bit of wear and tear,” he said. “Whether that’s a consideration or not is yet to be seen.”
Were the Phillies to shift Utley, there is then the question of what to do with the current first baseman, Ryan Howard. His five-year, $125 million contract runs through 2016, meaning he is virtually untradeable.
But if the team were able to make a move — if, for example, they agreed to pick up a large chunk of Howard’s contract for a trading partner — either Cesar Hernandez or Cody Asche would presumably get a look at second, with Maikel Franco likely taking over for Asche at third.