The Los Angeles Dodgers signed infielder Juan Uribe today to a three-year contract. General Manager Ned Colletti made the announcement.
“Juan provides us with a big bat in the middle of the infield and can change a game with one swing,” said Colletti. “His versatility is a huge asset, as he can play second base, third base and shortstop and he’s a two-time World Champion, so he knows what it takes to win.”
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In 2010, Uribe established career highs with 24 homers, 85 RBI and 45 walks. He ranked second on the San Francisco Giants in both home runs and RBI while playing in 148 games at shortstop (103), third base (26) and second base (24). Uribe would have finished second in homers and third in RBI on the 2010 Dodgers.
Uribe’s .984 fielding percentage led all National League shortstops with at least 100 games played last year. He owns a career fielding percentage of .975 at shortstop, .960 at third base and .990 at second, which is tied for seventh-best in the big leagues since 2003 among active players with at least 200 games played.
The 31-year-old helped the Giants win the World Series in October, driving in nine runs during the postseason, which ranked second on the squad. His five RBI in the Fall Classic also ranked second on the Giants.
Uribe had the game-winning sacrifice fly in Game 5 of the NLCS vs. Philadelphia and followed that up with a solo home run in Game 6 that snapped a 2-2 tie and propelled San Francisco to its first pennant since 2002. In 2005, Uribe was the everyday shortstop for the World Champion Chicago White Sox and hit .400 with four RBI in the Division Series victory over Boston.
Uribe’s 87 home runs as a shortstop are tied for sixth among all active players since 2004. Since 2004, only Chase Utley (175), Dan Uggla (154) and Miguel Tejada (144) have hit more homers than Uribe among big league middle infielders.
In his career, Uribe is batting .295 with the bases loaded, including five grand slams. The native of the Dominican Republic has also hit two career walk-off homers, including one in 2009 against the Dodgers.
Over 10 seasons with the Rockies (2001-03), White Sox (2004-08) and Giants (2009-10), Uribe holds a career average of .256 with 151 homers, 599 RBI, 1,114 hits and 231 doubles. He has hit at least 10 home runs in seven of his 10 Major League seasons, including seven of the last eight while hitting 20 or more homers in four of his last seven campaigns.
Uribe was originally signed by the Colorado Rockies as a free agent in 1997. He is the nephew of former Giants’’ shortstop Jose Uribe and resides in the Dominican Republic with his wife Ana and their three children, Juan Luis, Juanny and Janny.