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Jose Tabata
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
The most hits in a single season by a Pirates rookie:
Lloyd Waner, 1927: 223
Jimmy Williams, 1899: 219
Johnny Ray, 1982: 182
Paul Waner, 1926: 180
Glenn Wright, 1924: 177
Pirates rookie Jose Tabata has 90 hits in 73 games this season. Here are projections for Tabata, third baseman Pedro Alvarez and second baseman Neil Walker over a full season 162 games using this year's production:
Alvarez: 133 hits, 24 HR, 89 RBI
Tabata: 200 hits, 9 HR, 51 RBI
Walker: 196 hits, 18 HR, 98 RBI
vs. Nationals
7:05 p.m., PNC Park
TV/radio: FSN Pittsburgh/WPGB-FM (104.7), XM Channel 185
Pitchers: RHP Livan Hernandez (9-9, 3.49 ERA) will start for Washington. LHP Zach Duke (5-12, 5.17) will start for the Pirates.
Notable: The Pirates have hit 11 home runs over their past seven games.
Rob Biertempfel is the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Pirates beat writer. He can be reached at 412-320-7811, via e-mail or on Twitter.
Pirates rookie left fielder Jose Tabata realized he had finally hit it big when he got the call — from the Venezuelan Winter League.
The past three offseasons, Tabata has played for Caribes in his hometown of Anzoategui, Venezuela. This past winter, Tabata was on the team with fellow Pirates prospects Gorkys Hernandez and Exicardo Cayonez, along with major leaguers Magglio Ordonez, Victor Martinez, Carlos Zambrano and Carlos Silva.
"It's not like games here," said Tabata, who played mostly right field for Caribes. "It's really intense, and the fans talk to you a lot (during games). I heard a lot of stuff."
A few days ago, a Caribes official phoned Tabata to invite him back this winter.
"I am so proud," Tabata said, smiling. "Before, I had to call them to ask if I could play. Now, they're calling me."
Folks back home have noticed Tabata's stellar skills, but it's taking a bit longer for those in the States to get the message.
A recent ESPN.com column about the top rookies in the National League gave Tabata only an off-hand mention. The story noted that Tabata shares the lead in stolen bases among rookies with Washington shortstop Ian Desmond.
Overlooked was the fact that, on the day the story appeared online, Tabata had 87 hits since his June 6 call-up, tying him with three-time MVP Albert Pujols for most in the National League in that span.
"When I heard that I was up there with Pujols, I didn't know what to say," Tabata said. "I'm so proud because ... wow, I'm just a rookie. I'm so excited. I wasn't expecting that. I'm only looking to do my job, every game."
Tabata did not go hitless in back-to-back games through the first 54 games of his career. The last player to do that was Ichiro Suzuki.
In August, Tabata was second among rookies with a .339 batting average. He was fourth with a .477 slugging percentage, and his on-base percentage was .379.
This year's NL rookie class is considered to be among the best in years, including San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, Chicago shortstop Starlin Castro, Atlanta outfielder Jason Heyward, Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg and Milwaukee closer John Axford.
The Pirates have two other impact rookies — third baseman Pedro Alvarez and second baseman Neil Walker — who seem to have higher profiles than Tabata. Alvarez and Walker are former first-round picks, and Walker has the added feature of being a Pittsburgh native.
"People ask me, 'Why aren't you on ESPN?' " Tabata said. "I don't know why, but it's OK. I don't like a lot of hype. I like being quiet, doing my job. If I do that every day, one day I'll be on ESPN."
Six years ago, the New York Yankees signed Tabata on his 16th birthday. He was rated the Yankees' third-best prospect after the 2005 season, but his status faded when discipline issues arose in 2008.
When the Pirates picked him up in the Xavier Nady-Damaso Marte trade in July of that year, Tabata had been labeled a salvage project by some in the industry.
"Jose was kind of under the radar until now," manager John Russell said. "It's just now that some things are being said about Jose. But he's been doing great things. He'll work his way in there."
