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Juan Uribe Could be Missing Piece to Cleveland Indians’ Puzzle

By Jacob Kornhauser

Sep 10, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets third baseman Juan Uribe (2) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets third baseman Juan Uribe (2) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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The signing of third baseman Juan Uribe didn’t come with the same fan fare that other signings did this offseason, but he could be as important to the Cleveland Indians as top free agents are to their new teams. His veteran leadership has the chance to be more valuable in the locker room than on the field.

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Cleveland boasts one of the top pitching rotations in baseball, with virtually zero holes and plenty of young, power pitchers across the board. Keeping other teams from scoring won’t be the problem for the Indians, scoring runs will.

Despite having a nice core of hitters including Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley (who is set to miss a significant portion of the season), Cleveland tends to underachieve at the plate. Uribe adds a nice bat to the mix, but he adds much more than that.

The Indians’ lineup is already strong and it willb e even stronger with the addition of Uribe.               Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The Indians’ lineup is already strong and it willb e even stronger with the addition of Uribe.               Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

He’s a leader and tends to elevate the games of those around him. That would be huge for an Indians team right on the cusp of contention. In a tough AL Central, they could use all the help they could get.

With the addition of Uribe, this is what the starting lineup could look like:

  1. OF Rajai Davis
  2. SS Francisco Lindor
  3. 2B Jason Kipnis
  4. DH Carlos Santana
  5. C Yan Gomes
  6. 1B Mike Napoli
  7. 3B Juan Uribe
  8. OF Lonnie Chisenhall
  9. OF Abraham Almonte

With Uribe added to the mix, the Indians’ offense all of a sudden starts to look pretty formidable. Add Brantley to the mix in a couple months and it looks even better. By inspiring better play in young guys like Lindor (who played great all by himself in 2015) Almonte, Uribe can make a big difference.

He’s a veteran who has done it before and knows what it takes to get the job done. Most of the other players on the Indians do not. Add Uribe to the mix with manager Terry Francona, who also knows how to get it done in October, and the Indians could be a surprise contender in 2016.

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