José Tabata

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José Nicolas Tabata

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 160 lb.

Born August 12, 1988 in Anzoategui Venezuela (unclear where in the state of Anzoategui Tabata was born)

José Tabata is an outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Tabata signed with the New York Yankees on his 16th birthday. He made his pro debut with the 2005 GCL Yankees, hitting .314/.382/.417 and stealing 22 bases in 28 tries. He led the Gulf Coast League in steals and was 9th in batting average. He made the league All-Star outfield alongside Matt Kutler and Francisco Guzman. Baseball America rated him as the league's #7 prospect, third among outfielders after Andrew McCutchen and Jay Bruce and ahead of teammate Austin Jackson. They also ranked him as the #3 prospect in the Yankees system.

In 2006, the teenager hit .298/.377/.422 with 15 swipes in 20 attempts for the Charleston RiverDogs despite 3 stints on the disabled list. He played center field and hit 9th for the World team in the 2006 Futures Game in a 8-5 loss. Baseball America rated him as the #2 prospect in the South Atlantic League, behind McCutchen and just ahead of Fernando Martinez and Elvis Andrus. Had he qualified, Tabata would have tied for 8th in the SAL in average. Baseball America ranked him as the #2 New York Yankees prospect and as the best batting prospect in the 2006 SAL. That winter, he played for the Caribes de Oriente, producing at a .275/.392/.422 clip.

Tabata was the right fielder for the 2007 Tampa Yankees, hitting .307/.371/.392 with 15 steals in 21 tries. He placed 4th in the Florida State League in average and made the FSL All-Star outfield alongside Jacob Butler, Erik Lis and Cameron Maybin. Baseball America ranked him as the #9 prospect in the FSL, between Deolis Guerra and Austin Jackson. Only Bruce and Maybin were rated higher among position player prospects. In August, he had surgery to remove the hamate bone from his right wrist, which had been damaged by a pitch in July of 2006. Baseball America rated Tabata as the #3 Yankees prospect after Joba Chamberlain and Jackson.

Tabata battled more injuries in 2008 and only batted .248/.320/.310 in 79 games for the Trenton Thunder. He was then traded with Ross Ohlendorf, Daniel McCutchen and Jeff Karstens to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte.

With the Altoona Curve after the trade, Tabata hit .348/.402/.562 in 22 contests. Baseball America ranked him as the 12th-best prospect in the Eastern League.

Tabata was at the periphery of a scandal in March 2009. His 43-year-old wife (who had a criminal history of arson and fraud he was unaware of) had been lying to him, claiming she was pregnant. While the Pirates were in Florida for spring training, she kidnapped a baby and told him it was theirs. When the truth came out, Tabata said "The truth is that my wife told me many lies that, until this whole situation began, I did not know...the worst lie was that she completely falsified her pregnancy and the eventual birth of a baby girl, which would have made me a father for the first time. Imagine how that made me feel."