LOS ANGELES — Braves newcomer Juan Uribe had Braves coaching assistant (and Los Angelese native) Horacio Ramirez translate for him during a group interview Wednesday with L.A. and Atlanta media, but the Dominican is comfortable doing one-on-one interviews in English.
And by all accounts, communicating with others – teammates, coaches, fans, everyone – is a strong suit for the 15-year veteran.
As soon as Uribe saw former White Sox teammate A.J. Pierzynski being interviewed by a Braves TV crew in the clubhouse Wednesday, the newest Brave shouted across the clubhouse, razzing the 38-year-old catcher.
“We played together a long time, won the (2005) World Series together,” said Pierzysnki, a White Sox teammate for four seasons. “He comes to play. He’s always got a smile on his face, always laughing, always goofing around. But the guy can play. He can play. Obviously I haven’t seen him for a couple of years, being in the American League and him in the National League. But he’s always been able to pick (ground ball) and gets big hits, and he wants to be up in big situations. That’s a huge part of it.”
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was pleasantly surprised to learn of Uribe’s continued defensive prowess Thursday when the manager did some statistical research and saw his Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) and other defensive metrics.
Uribe’s playing time had been reduced this season because the Dodgers had better offensive production from Alex Guerrero and Justin Turner and have another top third-base prospect on the way.
Uribe hit .247 with a .287 OBP, one homer and a .596 OPS in only 87 plate appearances for the Dodgers, after batting a career-best .311 with nine homers and a .777 OPS last season in 404 plate appearances. He believes he can get back to last year’s level of production with increased playing time, which he’s likely to get with the Braves.
“I think I can,” he said. “One thing I always have going for me is I believe in myself. I think I can do what I did last season.”
Pierzysnki said Uribe’s personality and experience made him a particularly good midseason pickup.
“He’ll fit right in,” Pierzynski said. “Gives you a jolt of energy, a good player, can do a lot of things special on the field.”
