Jose Tabata: Is is too Early to Give Up on Young Outfielder?
By Matt Shetler
Early in the season, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle sent outfielder Alex Presley a wake-up call with a mid-season demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis. Presley responded and was summoned back to the big league roster a couple week.
Presley got the message loud and clear and Hurdle was hoping to send the same message to Jose Tabata, but so far Tabata hasn’t got the message.
Tabata has experienced the same struggles for Indianapolis that he did in Pittsburgh. In 16 games for the Indians, Tabata is hitting .279 without a homer and six RBI. He’s struck out 10 times in 61 at bats, only drawing three walks and has an OPS of a mere .661.
Does that mean it’s time to stick the fork in Tabata and write him off?
Not exactly. It’s a little early for that.
But there are some troubling signs that go way beyond the lack of production from the plate.
John Perrotto wrote in his latest column for the Beaver County Times, that Tabata has been dogging it in the minors.
"“He’s dogging it,” one scout from a National League organization said. “He is jogging down the line when he hits a ground ball. He looks completely disinterested, even more disinterested than when he was in the major leagues. You don’t have to watch him long to realize he doesn’t want to be there.”"
That’s disturbing news to hear.
However, I wouldn’t close the book on Tabata just yet. He’s only 23 (we think) and has a ton of talent. Eventually you would think that he’s going to get the message. Eventually you would think that the talent and production will come out consistently.
Yet that’s not always the case, but I wouldn’t write him off yet.
Plus baring a trade, there’s still a major hole in right field on this Pirates team. Garrett Jones, Josh Harrison and Drew Sutton are not good outfielders. The opportunity is on the table for Tabata to play his way right back into the lineup.
To do that though, Tabata has to get his act together. When he does that is totally up to him.
If he chooses not to though, it could be a longer road back than he probably even anticipates.