Juan Uribe, Third Base


Date of Birth: 3/22/1979
Birthplace: Palenque, Dominican Republic

Juan Uribe, third baseman, was first signed by the Colorado Rockies in 1997. He played in the minor leagues from 1998 through half of 2001. He was called up to the Rockies in 2001 and he played in 72 games with them that season.

In 2002, his first full season in the major leagues, Uribe batted .240 with 136 hits and 25 doubles in 155 games. The following season he played in just 87 games. The Rockies traded Uribe to the Chicago White Sox in December, 2003. During his time with the Rockies, Uribe was a shortstop but he switched to second and third base when he joined the White Sox.

Uribe had a strong first season with the White Sox. In 2004, he batted .283 with career highs in hits with 142 and doubles with 31. He also had 23 home runs and 74 RBIs in 134 games. In December, 2004, Uribe signed a four-year contract extension with the White Sox. From 2005 through 2007, he again played at shortstop but in 2008, he returned to second and third base.

In January, 2009, Uribe signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. After Spring training that year, he made the team's roster as a utility infielder. In 122 games in 2009, Uribe batted .289 with 115 hits, 26 doubles, and 16 home runs. The following season, he continued with the Giants on a one-year, $3.25 million contract. In 2010, he batted .248 with career highs in home runs (24) and RBIs (85).

After the 2010 season ended, Uribe signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He spent much of the 2011 season on the DL, playing in just 77 games with the Dodgers. The following season, he started as the team's third baseman but after a poor start and a wrist injury, he became a pinch hitter, playing in just 66 games in 2012. In 2013, Uribe batted .278 with 108 hits, 22 doubles, 12 home runs, and 50 RBIs in 132 games.

In December, 2013, Uribe agreed to a two-year, $15 million contract extension with the Dodgers. He finished the 2014 season with 120 hits, 23 doubles, 54 RBIs, and a .311 batting average in 103 games. In postseason play, he had 2 hits and 1 RBI in 17 at-bats in 4 games.

Uribe was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Alberto Callaspo on May 27, 2015. He was traded again on July 24, 2015, this time to the New York Mets. He finished the 2015 season with 91 hits, 17 doubles, 14 home runs, 43 RBIs, and a .253 batting average in 29 games with the Dodgers, 46 games with the Braves, and 44 games with the Mets. Defensively, as a third baseman, he made 169 assists, 34 putouts, and 9 errors in 92 games. He had one hit in one at-bat in the postseason.

Uribe signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Cleveland Indians on February 28, 2016. He was designated for assignment by the Indians on August 1, 2016. He finished the 2016 season with 49 hits and a .206 batting average in 73 games. Defensively, as the Indians' third baseman in 68 games, he made 128 assists, 43 putouts, and 7 errors. The Indians released him on August 5, 2016.

Uribe hasn't played professional baseball since 2016.

Career batting statistics for Uribe through 2016 include:

  • 1,826 games played
  • 1,568 hits
  • 323 doubles
  • 199 home runs
  • 816 RBIs
  • 1,224 strikeouts to 388 walks
  • .255 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Uribe as an infielder through 2016 include:

  • 917 games played at shortstop, 4 games played at first base, 228 games played at second base, 644 games played at third base
  • 4,380 assists
  • 849 double plays
  • 2,282 putouts
  • 164 errors

Personal Life

Uribe and his wife Ana have four children.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Juan Uribe
ESPN - Juan Uribe