Meet Alabama’s Chase Utley, the teen who mirrors the Phillies legend in striking ways

Playing 2nd base, hitting lefty, throwing righty — it’s conscionable what radical who are named Chase Utley do.

It is not uncommon for parents to sanction their kids oregon pets aft an athlete, but it is highly uncommon to person the nonstop aforesaid archetypal and past sanction arsenic a nonrecreational athlete.

Chase Utley was calved successful Alabama 10 months aft Philadelphia Phillies fable Chase Utley, helped pb the squad to a World Series rubric successful 2008.

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(Left) Chase Utley poses for a photograph connected a shot tract successful Mobile, Alabama, February 2026. (Right) Chase Utley (26) of the Philadelphia Phillies stands connected 2nd basal aft being called retired connected a pickoff play during the seventh inning of a crippled against the Milwaukee Brewers astatine Miller Park successful Milwaukee, Wisconsin, connected Aug. 15, 2015. The telephone was overturned connected reappraisal aft Jean Segura (9) of the Milwaukee Brewers dropped the ball, and Utley was ruled safe. The Brewers defeated the Phillies 4-2. (Courtesy of the Utley family; John Konstantaras/Getty Images)

The older Chase Utley played 16 seasons successful the large leagues, hitting lefty, throwing right-handed, and playing 2nd base, and was conscionable named to the Phillies Wall of Fame. The younger Chase Utley hopes his shot vocation ends with akin recognition.

The younger Chase Utley’s parents, Brian and Amanda, came astir to naming their lad Chase successful antithetic ways.

For Brian, helium is simply a large shot instrumentality and knew who Chase Utley was earlier naming his lad Chase.

"I grew up a large shot fan. Followed the crippled precise closely, and I perfectly knew who Chase Utley was, of course, and person been pursuing his career," Brian told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview. "To day it, our Chase was calved successful August of 2009, truthful that would person been (during) the 2nd World Series tally for the Phillies, truthful it was precise apical of mind. The sanction conscionable benignant of rolls disconnected the lingua erstwhile your name's already Utley. It was thing that I wanted. I had to beryllium delicate to my wife's desires for sure."

Amanda Utley thought of the sanction Chase independently of the Phillies great. When she suggested the sanction to her husband, she was informed of the coincidence and was turned disconnected by the name.

"I didn't cognize determination was a Chase Utley, and I conscionable thought of the sanction Chase and thought it sounded great. I've ever liked that name. And so, erstwhile I suggested it, (Brian) said, ‘Well, arsenic a substance of fact,’ and helium tells maine each astir Chase Utley. And so, I was like, ‘Oh, ne'er caput then.’ You know, that's weird. I don't deliberation we're going to privation to sanction him aft somebody," Amanda told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.

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Chase and Brian Utley airs for a photograph connected a shot tract successful Mobile, Alabama, February 2026. (Courtesy of the Utley family)

However, arsenic she went passim the pregnancy, she vetted Brian astir the idiosyncratic Chase Utley is.

"The much we benignant of went done the pregnancy, I didn't find different sanction I liked better. And, truthful past I benignant of was like, ‘Well, is Chase Utley a bully guy? Is helium a bully leader? Is helium a jerk successful the locker room?’ You know, each the things. He was like, ‘No, he's an awesome feline and helium would he's a great relation model. He's astir apt going to beryllium successful the Hall of Fame 1 year.’ I said, ‘Well, past are we going to get made amusive of if we bash this?’ And helium said, ‘No, I don't deliberation so.’ So, that's wherever that's wherever that came from for me. I conscionable truly liked the name," Amanda said.

So, the mates settled connected Chase.

The older Chase Utley said helium has met a fistful of kids named aft him, but ne'er idiosyncratic with his nonstop aforesaid name.

"But honestly, the past sanction astatine least, I've ne'er met different idiosyncratic named the past sanction Utley different than my household members. So, they enactment them some unneurotic is highly unique. And the information that a young shot subordinate plays the aforesaid presumption arsenic we mentioned, I deliberation it's precise chill and precise unique," the older Chase Utley told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.

The elder Chase Utley is nary alien to radical naming their kids aft him. He has been told families person named their pets aft him.

"I really met respective kids oregon parents that mentioned that they named their lad oregon their dog, oregon their cats, oregon their bird. There's I deliberation determination was a food was named aft me," Utley said.

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Former Philadelphia Phillies 2nd baseman Chase Utley during a pregame ceremonial against the Chicago White Sox astatine Citizens Bank Park successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, connected Aug. 4, 2019. (Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports)

The younger Chase Utley thinks it is "super cool" to beryllium named aft the World Series champion.

"Well, evidently I was calved benignant of astatine the highest of his career. I was calved successful 2009 backmost whenever they were they went connected that 2 World Series run. So it took maine a infinitesimal to truly conscionable benignant of recognize that," the younger Chase Utley told Fox News Digital.

"But erstwhile I benignant of realized it and I got to truly cognize and larn astir the subordinate that helium is and the large person and large rival that helium was, I mean, it's ace chill to beryllium named aft a subordinate similar that, particularly a subordinate that's similar amusive to look up to and exemplary a game, exemplary my crippled after. It's awesome to beryllium named aft him."

The younger Chase Utley did not take to bat lefty, propulsion right-handed and play 2nd basal solely due to the fact that of his name. He besides plays shortstop and is listed arsenic a right-handed pitcher connected Perfect Game’s website. Perfect Game is the largest and astir broad scouting enactment successful younker baseball.

The younger Utley said it each fell into spot that mode and credited his dada for molding him into the subordinate helium is.

"Well, from a young age, my dad's been my manager and my dad's been a large teacher and manager for maine conscionable and helium benignant of molded maine into the subordinate that I americium helium benignant of stuck maine connected the tee connected the near broadside whenever I started to deed and  evident similar I got a batch of athleticism from him and ever person worked connected being a large jock with him," the younger Chase Utley said.

"That sets maine up bully to beryllium a bully mediate infielder. So yeah, it conscionable benignant of each fell into spot to wherever I was a lefty bat and righty thrower playing some shortstop and 2nd basal and yeah, truthful yeah, it conscionable benignant of each fell into spot and it's large to adjacent play the aforesaid presumption that helium did."

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Chase Utley successful enactment astatine a shot tract successful Mobile, Alabama, February 2026. (Courtesy of the Utley family)

Perfect Game’s vice president of scouting, Jered Goodwin, told Fox News Digital that the younger Utley is connected the trajectory of being a Division I assemblage shot player. Goodwin praised his quality to deed and is looking guardant to his maturation process.

Goodwin said the younger Utley’s athleticism caught his eye.

"One happening that that caught my oculus and done the conversations I've had and what I got to spot past summer, helium is diversion capable to beryllium versatile, spell retired and person a relation astatine a four-year schoolhouse conscionable due to the fact that helium tin play aggregate spots. He swings from the close broadside of the plate, and helium does hit," Goodwin told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.

The younger Chase Utley is not conscionable opening eyes with his play astatine shot tournaments, but has besides caused chaos astatine shot tournaments for his sanction alone.

Umpires person approached Brian Utley astatine shot tournaments, confusing him for the older Chase Utley.

"There was this 1 lawsuit wherever I was playing and my dada was coaching and we had 2 games earlier successful the time and past we near connected a crippled interruption for lunch. We travel backmost and it mightiness person been started by an umpire oregon a genitor but determination was a buzz similar a rumor going astir the ballpark that Chase Utley was determination and helium was coaching his lad portion his lad was playing arsenic maine and my dada is Chase Utley," the younger Chase Utley said.

"And there's been different instances wherever umpires person gone up to my dada reasoning that helium was Chase Utley and helium was coaching his lad and talking to him astir his vocation and everything."

The younger Chase Utley said helium often gets asked passim the shot play by opponents if helium is named aft oregon related to the older Chase Utley.

Brian Utley said whenever his lad is announced to hit, it causes a disturbance among the crowd.

"We had a crippled past nighttime and uh arsenic helium comes up to bat, you perceive it. Hey, present batting fig four, Chase Utley. And I ever admit a small spot of a treatment oregon I ever tin spot it successful the stands each clip helium comes up for the archetypal clip usually due to the fact that the sanction called out," Brian said.

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Chase Utley successful a dugout successful Mobile, Alabama, February 2026. (Courtesy of the Utley family)

Brian Utley said helium gets asked often if helium intentionally named Chase aft the older Chase Utley, which helium affirms. Amanda Utley said she had a person who had known their Chase for years and 1 time saw a shot subordinate connected tv named Chase Utley, and wondered if Brian and Amanda were alert of the different Chase Utley.

"Most of the clip erstwhile radical ask, ‘Do you know?’ the follow-up is, ‘Did you bash that connected purpose?’ And truthful it's benignant of, benignant of," Amanda said.

While Brian knew who Chase Utley was, helium is not a Phillies fan. He grew up a Kansas City Royals instrumentality successful the 1980s, and the family’s favourite squad is the Royals.

The household named their canine Slugger aft the Royals mascot.

While the Royals are the Utleys favourite team, they bash basal for the Phillies. The younger Chase Utley called them their second-favorite team.

The older Chase Utley said helium was astatine outpouring grooming successful Clearwater, Florida, erstwhile a household came up to him and told him that they named their lad aft him.

The Utley household had not reached retired to the older Chase to fto him cognize they named their lad aft him.

"We haven't had that benignant of nerve," Brian said with a laugh.

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Chase Utley (26) of the Philadelphia Phillies stands connected 2nd basal aft being called retired connected a pickoff play during the seventh inning of a crippled against the Milwaukee Brewers astatine Miller Park successful Milwaukee, Wisconsin, connected Aug. 15, 2015. The telephone was overturned connected reappraisal aft Jean Segura (9) of the Milwaukee Brewers dropped the ball, and Utley was ruled safe. The Brewers defeated the Phillies 4-2. (John Konstantaras/Getty Images)

While they haven’t yet met, determination are plans to conscionable successful the future. The elder Chase Utley said they volition conscionable successful idiosyncratic implicit the adjacent respective months, possibly aft a Zoom for their archetypal introduction.

The ex-ballplayer said helium is looking guardant to gathering the younger Chase Utley.

"I'd emotion to shingle his manus and person a bully conversation. I hopefully we tin speech a small shot and 2nd basal and hopefully person immoderate large questions that I can. Hopefully I tin supply immoderate bully answers for him. But yeah, conscionable to conscionable someone, with your aforesaid nonstop name, that doesn't hap precise often, astatine slightest for me. So it'll beryllium a large experience," the older Chase Utley said.

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