Thursday, April 24, 2014

#201 Jose Uribe

About the Front: I think this photo was taken during a spring training game. I certainly don't remember Candlestick Park having a grassy berm in the outfield.

About the Back: Uribe was Jose's mother's maiden name. Because his name change coincided with his trade from the Cardinals to the Giants, it was often said that he was the ultimate example of a "player to be named later".

Triple Play:

1. Prior to the 1987 season, Uribe trained back home in the Dominican by having his brother Narciso pitch peanuts in the shell and corn kernels to him from a distance of 15-20 feet. That year, Jose hit a career-high .291/.343/.424 in 95 games.

2. His younger cousin is current Dodgers infielder Juan Uribe.

3. Jose was killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic on December 8, 2006. He was 47 years old at the time. It's pretty sobering to have back-to-back deceased players in this two decades-old set.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Uribe was the only major leaguer at that time whose last name began with a "U", which made him stand out to me.

Bill James Said: "He's Alfredo Griffin, but without Alfredo's baserunning stunts - a 34-year-old switch hitter who was once a good shortstop, and can take the field and fill in there for a few innings or a few days."

On This Date in 1993: April 24. The Tigers slug five home runs in a 17-1 mauling of the Twins. Minnesota starter Pat Mahomes is battered for 10 runs on 11 hits in 2.2 innings. The Detroit bombers are Rob Deer, Kirk Gibson, Lou Whitaker, Chad Kreuter, and Mickey Tettleton (grand slam).

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