On this day in 2010, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed then free-agent Juan Uribe to a three-year, $21 million contract with the intention of having him play second base.
Uribe, who had spent the 2010 season as a member of the San Francisco Giants, put up a noteworthy career season, including a .256 batting average and new career highs in home runs (24) and RBI (85). With the Giants’ World Series victory that year, it was Uribe’s second championship.
In 2010, Uribe also collected his 1,000 career hit.
While his first two seasons with Los Angeles were riddled by injury and only saw Uribe play in 143 games during that span, his 2013 campaign featured a nice bounce back as he hit .278/.331/.438 with 12 home runs.
In the final year of his contract, Uribe captured his most memorable moment with the Dodgers by hitting a go-ahead home run against the Atlanta Braves in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series.
That propelled L.A. to a 4-3 win and series victory.
Although the Dodgers would lose to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Championship Series, Uribe’s go-ahead hit will forever be remarked as one of the top moments of that year’s playoff run and his legacy within the organization.
Prior to the 2014 season, Uribe was re-signed by the Dodgers and brought back on a two-year deal worth $15 million. However, he was traded to the Braves in May 2015 in order to make room for Justin Turner as the everyday third baseman.
Juan Uribe’s MLB career
A 15-year career in the Major Leagues is no easy feat, and for Uribe, his legacy of being a great player and teammate shined across seven different organizations he was part of.
The two-time World Series champion (Chicago White Sox, Giants) completed his big league career with a .255 batting average, 199 home runs, and 816 RBI.
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