Utley given a mental break

[Redskins Rick]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/06/chase-utley-has-been-given-a-mental-break/

I agree, my day, it was called benching. Managers used that as an incentive to get off your butt and gets back to playing good ball.

I guess you have to cuddle these new era players too much.

[Aglets]

This will be interesting to watch for the remainder of the season since Utley has a $15M vesting option written into his contract for 2016 that will trigger if he gets 500 PA.

He is currently at 99 which has him on pace for roughly 573.

Fascinatingly enough he has identical options for 2017 and 2018 too.

[PaulFolk]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/06/chase-utley-has-been-given-a-mental-break/

I agree, my day, it was called benching. Managers used that as an incentive to get off your butt and gets back to playing good ball.

I guess you have to cuddle these new era players too much.

I'm guessing you meant to say "coddle," but this visual image gave me a good chuckle.

[weams]

I'm guessing you meant to say "coddle," but this visual image gave me a good chuckle.

That's why they are gone!

Dan has no time for cuddlers.

Buck doesn't want anything to do with it.

John Russell appears to be engrossed though.

[Barnaby Graves]

This will be interesting to watch for the remainder of the season since Utley has a $15M vesting option written into his contract for 2016 that will trigger if he gets 500 PA.

He is currently at 99 which has him on pace for roughly 573.

Fascinatingly enough he has identical options for 2017 and 2018 too.

You have to admire, profoundly admire, the sheer number of terrible commitments the Phillies have.

[Redskins Rick]

You have to admire, profoundly admire, the sheer number of terrible commitments the Phillies have.

and wonder how their GM still has a job with the team.

[Crazysilver03]

and wonder how their GM still has a job with the team.

This. Especially since he isn't trying to change the team up.

[weams]

This. Especially since he isn't trying to change the team up.

But. He WENT for it when they were close. He WENT for it.

[Crazysilver03]

But. He WENT for it when they were close. He WENT for it.

I commend him for that. Even tho they were mostly terrible contracts. But even last year to say they aren't sellers. And then do so in the off-season. Should have been fired for his idiocy.

[Can_of_corn]

I commend him for that. Even tho they were mostly terrible contracts. But even last year to say they aren't sellers. And then do so in the off-season. Should have been fired for his idiocy.

I hate defending the man but I think the lack of a sell off last season was ownership.

[Aglets]

What if I were to tell you that Ryan Howard has the 2nd highest OPS on that team right now?

True, it's only .755, but that's at least...........not too terrible. In fact, bb-ref has him at exactly replacement level so far offensively! All that for only $25M.

[Redskins Rick]

But. He WENT for it when they were close. He WENT for it.

He went for it, good for him.

Not look at the results, and even after he went for it, he makes bad decisions and appears to be clueless, at least in my opinion.

[Redskins Rick]

I hate defending the man but I think the lack of a sell off last season was ownership.

You could be right,

[Aglets]

Utley now has 225 PA and is roughly on pace for 570 this year which would trigger his vesting option.

Very very interesting.

Also Howard still has the 2nd highest OPS on the team.

[Aglets]

Utley has been on the DL for awhile now with ankle inflammation. This should go a long way towards saving the Phillies millions of dollars for next year.

He's sitting at 249 PA which is halfway towards the magic 500 trigger, but now they're also saying that he shouldn't start when he comes back, so I'd say it's looking like his days in Philly are numbered.