The Pittsburgh Pirates' Jose Tabata Is Red Hot

We all know the the Pittsburgh Pirates have had an unprecedented run of futility over the course of the last 18 years. Sadly, they have become the laughing stock of not only baseball, but the entire sports world.

Tabata is having a huge second half push

However, there might be some hope for the Pirates in the future — at least offensively. Earlier in the week, I wrote about how nobody is noticing the solid season being produced by Stephen Drew because the Arizona Diamondbacks have been so inept. Well, the same can be said for Pirates’ OF Jose Tabata.

In case you haven’t noticed, Tabata is having one of the best second halves in baseball. He has put up a hitting line of .350/.385/.480 in 177 AB’s. He has also contributed three HR’s and six SB’s as well.

Tabata is right behind MVP-candidate Carlos Gonzalez in terms of top producing OF’s in the second half. Anytime you are in the same category with Gonzalez, you know you are doing something right.

Overall, Tabata is hitting .307 with a .360 OBP with four HR’s and 14 SB’s in 73 games. He still needs to work on some things like improving his 7.2 BB percentage, but he is everything the Pirates hoped he would be when they acquired him from the New York Yankees in the Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady trade.

Not only is Tabata hitting, but he is hitting when it counts. He has a .389 average with Runners In Scoring Position and he is hitting even a better .440 with two outs and RISP. While there is no way he can continue those numbers throughout the season, it is still pretty remarkable.

With Tabata in left and with Andrew McCutchen in center, the Pirates have the makings of a very solid outfield for years to come.

Here are some other facts about Jose Tabata…

Age: 22

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

College: None.

Drafted: None. Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 2004.

Minor League Stats:

2005 Rookie: .314/.382/.417 with three HR’s and 22 SB’s in 44 games

2006 Single A: .298/.377/.420 with five HR’s and 15 SB’s in 86 games

2007 High Single A: .307/.371/.392 with five HR’s and 15 SB’s in 103 games

2008 Rookie & Double A: .277/.345/.388 with eight HR’s  and 18 SB’s in 105 games

2009 Double A & Triple A: .293/.357/.406 with five HR’s and 11 SB’s in 93 games

2010 Triple A: .308/.373/.424 with three HR’s and 25 SB’s in 53 games

Keith Law Ranking and Analysis:

Ranking: No. 57 out of 100 best prospects in baseball for 2010.

Analysis: “Tabata has been on all three iterations of this list but keeps moving down because of questions about his makeup and performance. He seems to have settled in as an offensive right fielder, but with a dwindling chance to be an impact player.

The one thing Tabata definitely can do is hit, and he makes it look easy with a simple swing and excellent hand-eye coordination; he’s on his front foot a little early and opens up slightly, both of which may be reducing his power output. He has shown he can handle right field and has a plus arm there, but the thickness of his body has ruled out center, which is just as well with Andrew McCutchen stationed there for the next four to six years.

Outside his awful stint in Trenton in 2008, which precipitated his trade to Pittsburgh, Tabata’s composite line in full-season leagues is .302/.372/.417, most of which came before his 21st birthday in August. The two major questions now on Tabata are whether his pattern of making very hard contact is going to lead to above-average power in games, and whether his listed date of birth is accurate.

It’s still too early to rule out a power increase, although he has a long way to go in that department to be an above-average bat in a corner; as for the latter, if he’s really 23 or 24, he wouldn’t make the Top 100 at all.”

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