Background: Discovered by then-Rockies farm director Paul Egins and then-Rockies shortstop Neifi Perez at a Dominican tryout camp two months before Uribe’s 18th birthday in 1997. Played 2 1/2 seasons with the Rockies before he was traded to the White Sox straight up for second baseman Aaron Miles before the 2004 season. Married with three children who are named – get this – Juan, Juanny and Janny.
What’s up: Uribe returns to Coors Field this week for the first time in two years when his White Sox play their first interleague series against the Rockies.
Stat line: After hitting .283 with 23 homers and 74 RBIs last year, Uribe was rewarded with a three-year, $9.75 million contract. He is hitting .247 this year and on pace for 12 homers and 70 RBIs.
What’s next: The top priority for big-league shortstops is to become automatic on the routine plays, which was Uribe’s shortcoming in Colorado. Among the 28 shortstops who have started at least 30 games this year, Uribe is 12th in total chances and tied for 17th with seven errors. “He’s a different type of shortstop,” White Sox manager and former shortstop Ozzie Guillen said. “It’s kind of weird the way he catches the ball, but he gets it done. His arm is outstanding. Over the years he’ll get better and better.”
Klis’ take: The Uribe-Miles swap confused me as much as any trade the Rockies have made. To begin, it ran contrary to the team’s youth movement. Nothing against Miles, who’s a solid player. But Uribe is two years younger, plays a premium position and wields a more dangerous bat. Yes, Uribe gets careless defensively and is undisciplined at the plate. But has it been mentioned he’s only 25? Considering the patience the Rockies have shown with so many of their young players this year, D Closser, giving up so quickly on Uribe was perplexing. “Some people, when they don’t play for that team (any more), they don’t like that team anymore,” Uribe said. “For me, I like the Rockies. I’m not mad they traded me. The franchise gave me a chance. Some people might get mad or wonder what happened? I love Colorado. I want them to play good.” See there? A good kid, to boot.
