CHICAGO – The Milwaukee Brewers had three pitchers honored as National League all-stars in July.
Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill believes, deserved to have been the fourth.
“Should have been an all-star this year,” said Megill, the closer who earned his first nod along with rookie Jacob Misiorowski. Freddy Peralta was selected for the second time but didn’t pitch. “I feel like for relievers, you have to do something crazy your first season and then you do it again your second season and they’re like, ‘OK, yeah, you earned it.’
“He got snubbed.”
Uribe certainly wasn’t alone in having a case for being so honored and falling short – much was made of that in the wake of Misiorowski making it after only five major-league starts – but the body of work he’s put forth over the entirety of 2025 suggests the 25-year-old is going to get there sooner than later.
His 13-pitch, three-whiff wipeout of the Chicago Cubs to finish the Brewers’ Game 2 win in the National League Division Series on Oct. 6 at American Family Field continued a dominant run that saw Uribe enter with a 0.62 ERA in his last 29 appearances of the season and go unscored upon in his final nine.
The right-hander’s overall numbers were as good as it gets: 1.67 ERA (second among relievers in the NL) and 90 strikeouts (fourth), 37 holds as the primary setup man to Megill (led the majors) with seven saves thrown in for good measure, five of which came over the final month when Megill landed on the injured list.
Uribe also took the ball more frequently than anyone on the team – 75 times (tied for fourth in the NL).
It’s a performance that the Brewers always believed Uribe had in him since signing him out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic back in July of 2018, but one that took a while to get to after a series of missteps followed a promising debut in 2023.
Those included a benches-clearing altercation in a game in April of 2024, a demotion to Class AAA Nashville in the aftermath and finally a hacky sack mishap that led to Uribe needing season-ending surgery on his right knee to correct the damage.
His 6.91 ERA in 14 appearances left Uribe expecting more this year.
Much more. And he’s delivered.
“I put a lot of discipline in this year,” he said on Oct. 7 after taking part in Milwaukee’s workout at Wrigley Field in advance of NLDS Game 3. “I got hurt last year and I had discipline on my mind. Control. And that’s what’s helped me the whole year being comfortable.
“I got to the point like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to do something and adjust my life to be in this game for a long time,’ you know what I mean? And that’s why I prepare myself and am focused all the time, to be out of the distractions.
“I have super confidence in what I do all the time.”
Megill has seen the growth in his bullpen mate.
“He’s just had another year to reflect on what happened last season,” he said. “Me and him have had countless talks throughout the year. Pitching, how to go about pitching and other (stuff). He’s definitely had some good input from a lot of people around him who have been around and I think he’s taken a lot of it to hear and has really been able to move and stride that way.
“He’s kind of reflecting and asking a lot of questions.”
Manager Pat Murphy drew an interesting parallel when asked about Uribe.
“He’s been consistent. He’s been really consistent,” he said. “He understands team, he understands his responsibilities. He’s been great. He’s wired a certain way, and you’re not going to coach that out of him – and I’d never want to. But, focus it in the right direction and make sure he’s on task and keep him going down the right path.
“Sometimes he’s like a shopping cart with wobbly wheels. You’ve got to guide it for a little bit because he’s so talented and he has so much going for him.
“But a little guidance once in a while can help.”
Uribe’s profile on Major League Baseball’s statistics portal, Baseball Savant, illustrates just how tough he was on hitters in 2025 using an almost even mix of his sinker and slider.
The only dings against him have been his walk rate (30th percentile), chase rate (47th) and extension (47th).
Everything else rates out as 88th percentile or better with his barrel percentage maxed out at the 100th percentile and his average fastball velocity in the 98th at a career-best 98.8 mph. Opposing batters hit him at a collective .194 clip, best in Milwaukee’s bullpen.
“I mean, he throws 100 and has two pitches he can throw for strikes,” Megill said. “The biggest thing this year is he’s not afraid to go after 0-2. It kind of seemed like in the past maybe he was a little too fine, trying to hit corners. Now it’s, ‘OK, I throw 100, first one’s probably a foul tip. Let’s get in the zone and then move from there.’
“His commitment to that has been pretty obvious.”
With Megill still not back to throwing his normal triple digits as he continues to round back into shape from a flexor strain, Uribe has seemingly taken on the mantle as Milwaukee’s closer for the time being.
And even though it wasn’t a save situation when he appeared in Game 2, he nevertheless got the closer’s treatment as he ran in from the bullpen with the lights out and all the bells and whistles in full effect.
“It was a cool experience,” he said. “I enjoyed it a lot. I just went out there trying to do my job, like I was doing it the whole season.
“The game is always going to be the same. It was just a different moment.”
Uribe is continuing to learn and speak English, something he put a particular focus on in the last offseason, and he remains comfortable doing interviews without utilizing a translator.
“I mean, I was the only Latin guy in the bullpen this year,” he said, laughing. “So, I’ve got to learn English. And it’s getting better every day.”
Uribe’s emotion on the field after racking up a scoreless inning or a save has become one of his calling cards, with his blowing on the index and middle fingers on his pitching hand earning him the nickname “El Pistolero” that’s now emblazoned on t-shirts that his teammates are frequently spotted wearing.
“There’s no doubt he’s (bleeping) insane,” Megill said. “We all have to be a little bit, right? When it’s competition, he’s crazy. But when it’s just the boys, he’s the person you want to be around. Just a fantastic person. That’s kind of the story with us – fun to be around, keep you on your toes.”
Uribe has rubbed opponents the wrong way on occasion with his, shall we say exuberance, but he insists he’s not doing it in a disrespectful way.
“I’ve always been the guy with the energy on the field,” he said. “I started doing the guns in ’21 and I’ve been doing it the whole time. I’m not trying to make the other team mad or something. I just do my thing because I enjoy myself and my team.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: After some stops and starts, Abner Uribe is realizing his massive potential with the Brewers
Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
