Jose Miguel Uribe was a Venezuelan professional baseball player who spent the majority of his MLB career playing as a middle infielder for the San Francisco Giants from 1968 to 1977. While not one of the most famous names in baseball history, Uribe put together a very solid 10-year big league career and his baseball cards remain popular with collectors today due to his longevity in the game and time with the Giants franchise. Let’s take a deeper look at Jose Uribe’s baseball career and the various baseball cards that were produced featuring him over the years.
Uribe was signed as an amateur free agent by the Giants in 1964 at just 17 years old. After starting his professional career in the low minors, he started to climb through the Giants farm system playing for clubs like the Fresno Giants and Phoenix Giants. Uribe made his MLB debut at just 21 years old on September 9, 1968. His rookie card came in 1969 as part of the Topps baseball card set, featuring him in a Giants uniform on the front with statistics and information on the back. This 1969 Topps Jose Uribe rookie card remains one of the key cards for collectors of the player.
In his first two seasons in the big leagues, Uribe saw limited playing time but showed promise, hitting .246 with 16 RBI over 78 games in 1968-1969 combined. He began to earn a bigger role with the Giants in 1970, appearing in 102 games while hitting .247 with 23 RBI. Uribe continued improving in 1971, playing in 132 games and establishing himself as the Giants everyday shortstop, hitting .255 with career-highs of 6 home runs and 45 RBI. That 1971 season breakout year was documented in the 1971 Topps set, a popular Uribe card for collectors.
The 1972 and 1973 seasons were Uribe’s best offensive years in the majors. In 1972 he played in all 162 games for the Giants, batting .276 with 8 homers and 58 RBI. His performance earned him additional card releases that year, including in the lesser-known but still collectible Leaf and Pitsco baseball sets of 1972. Uribe followed it up in 1973 by hitting .277 with 7 homers and 53 RBI, again playing every game for the Giants. Collectors look to Uribe’s featured cards in the 1973 Topps and 1973 Fleer sets from this peak period of his career.
Uribe continued as the Giants regular shortstop through the mid-1970s, though offensive numbers did tail off some. He totaled 137 games in 1974 and hit .250 with 2 homers and 26 RBI. 1975 was much the same with a .245 average over 154 games played. 1976 saw Uribe switch over to primarily a second baseman role, playing 114 games there while hitting .243. 1977 would be Uribe’s last season in San Francisco, playing 89 games and batting .232 in a reserve role. The latter half of his Giants tenure was documented in the mid-1970s Topps, Fleer, and Kellogg’s baseball cards.
After being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals midway through the 1977 season, Uribe spent one final season splitting time between the Cards and Toronto Blue Jays in 1978 before retiring. He finished his 10-year MLB career with a .254 batting average, 35 home runs, and 326 RBI over 1,109 total games played. While never an all-star or award winner, Uribe provided consistent solid play and longevity at second base and shortstop for the Giants franchise for nearly a decade.
In the decades since his retirement, Jose Uribe’s baseball cards from his playing days have remained popular with collectors. His iconic 1969 Topps rookie card is still a key piece for any Giants or vintage collectors’ want lists. Other top Uribe cards include his 1971, 1972, and 1973 issues showing his best offensive seasons. Even his later 1970s cards retain value for anyone looking to build a complete Giants team set. Uribe may not have ever reached the true “star” status, but his steady career made him a key figure for collectors of the era. For those who enjoyed watching Uribe play for the Giants for so many years, his baseball cards serve as an affordable way to reminisce about his solid career.
While not one of the biggest names in baseball, Jose Uribe had a very good 10-year MLB career playing most of it for the San Francisco Giants franchise at second base and shortstop. As someone who spent the bulk of their time in the majors with one team, Uribe’s baseball cards from his playing days from the late 1960s through 1977 have remained popular with collectors looking to build Giants, vintage, or complete career sets. From his iconic 1969 rookie issue to cards showing statistical peaks in the early 1970s, Jose Uribe’s baseball cards continue to hold relevance in the hobby decades after his retirement from professional baseball.
