Lingering questions regarding the sharp second-half decline that capped Chase Utley's sixth all-star season were tempered in spring training. Despite easing into camp because of a swollen right ankle, the 36-year-old second baseman left Clearwater swinging, by far, the hottest bat on the Phillies.
But the first 30 games of the season have sharply accentuated the doubts that arose after last May, when Utley followed a torrid first month and a half with a .244 average from June through September. His mighty 2015 struggles reached a nadir this past week, when manager Ryne Sandberg sat him for the final two games of a 10-game road trip for a "mental break.