Chase Utley's Batting Slump

Second baseman Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies is one of the best young players in baseball, the leading vote-getter in fact for this year's National League All-Star team. This season Utley got off to a torrid start, among the leaders in batting average and leading the league in home runs and RBI's. However, in recent months he has endured at least two prolonged hitting slumps and his overall production is down significantly. He is also on a pace to strike out more than 100 times. Hitting slumps by the best of hitters are hardly unusual. But Utley's swing is quite unique; it is short and compact with an abbreviated backswing and follow-through. It somewhat resembles the short swing of the powerful golfer J.B. Holmes. One would have expected Utley's mechanics to provide a degree of immunity to extended hitting droughts and excessive strikeouts. Hitting theorists will have to return to their laboratories.