A Young Cancer Patient Met His MLB Hero 13 Years Ago. Now They Work for the Same Team.

By Nancy Flory Published on April 6, 2018

Veteran Dodgers infielder Chase Utley sat in his team’s clubhouse along with his teammates. Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts brought around a new guy who was drafted as a pitching prospect to meet the guys. But the joke was on Utley. He’d met the young man before — as a 10 year old battling cancer.

At 9 years old, Devin Smeltzer found out he had cancer. During chemotherapy treatment, baseball was the only thing that gave him a sense of “normalcy.” He got to meet then-Phillies baseball player named Chase Utley at a meet-and-greet when he was 10. Someone snapped a picture.

“The picture of me and Chase has been in the living room for a long time,” said Smeltzer. “When I go back home, it’s always very humbling to see that picture because of where I’m at today.” Now the cancer-free Smeltzer is in the Dodgers’ minor league farm system.

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Courtesy of Devin Smeltzer

The Reunion

The Dodgers set up the reunion during spring training. Utley was surprised. “It’s a pretty special and unique story with Devin,” he said. “I had the opportunity to meet him when he was 10 years old, battling cancer. I can’t even imagine what he was going through, what his parents were going through. And to see him beat cancer, to see … his ability take over and allow him to play baseball for a living.”

Smeltzer wanted the players to know how they impact people, even if they’re not aware of it at the time. “A lot of these guys, they’re living the dream, and just showing them that there’s more to life than just baseball,” said Smeltzer. “Everybody’s struggles are different, and just being able to use their platform to give back and help anybody, whether it’s my type of situation or anything else.”

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The cancer taught him lessons he’ll never forget. “Without cancer I wouldn’t be who I am today,” Smeltzer said. “If I was asked to go through it again, as a 20-year-old guy getting drafted by the Dodgers, I’d say I would go through it again. It really taught me priorities and people in my life — who I need to keep around, who I need to get rid of. It was honestly a blessing in disguise. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

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