Jose Nicolas Tabata (pronounced "TAH-bah-tah")...Wife's name is Auromar...One daughter; Barbara (9/29/11)...Originally signed by the New York Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on his 16th birthday...Entered the 2010 season ranked by Baseball America as Pittsburgh's second-best prospect and as the "Best Hitter for Average" in the farm system...Was ranked #37 on Baseball America's annual pre-season list of the Top 100 prospects in baseball prior to 2008 season...Was rated by Baseball America as the Eastern League's #12 prospect following the '08 campaign...Participated in the Pirates annual team caravan and PirateFest event the past two Decembers.
2013
2013 SEASON: Established career highs in games played, triples and home runs...Made 50 appearances (39 starts) in right field and 40 appearances (34 starts) in left field and did not make an error...Went 6-for-25 (.240) with three RBI as a pinch hitter...Was a member of Pittsburgh's Opening Day roster for the third straight season...Made first start in third team game on 4/4 vs. Chicago...Was the leadoff batter on 4/19 vs. Atlanta and went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI...His home run on 4/28 at St. Louis was his first in the big leagues since 6/25/12...Left game on 5/1 at Milwaukee with discomfort in his left leg; went 2-for-4 in the game but injured leg while sliding into second base in the eighth inning...Missed the next four games; returned to action on 5/8 and lined out as a pinch hitter...Went 2-for-2 off the bench on 5/9 at New York...Batted fifth in the starting lineup for the second time in his career on 5/10 at New York and went 1-for-4...Went 2-for-2 while coming off the bench on 5/11...Tied career highs with four hits and three RBI while batting fifth on 5/11 at New York...Went 10-for-20 in a seven-game stretch from 5/9-15...Made start in left field and led off the game on 5/21 vs. Chicago; went 1-for-4...Was placed on the 15-day disabled list on 5/27 (retro to 5/25) with a left oblique strain...Hit .389 (14-for-39) in 16 games with the Pirates during the month of May...Began rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on 6/21 and went 5-for-28 (.179) in nine games...Was recalled from rehab and reinstated from D.L. on 7/3...Made 10 straight starts in right field leading up to the All-Star break from 7/3-14 and hit .368 (14-for-38)...Went 1-for-20 in his first 10 games following the All-Star break (thru 7/28)...Came off the bench and went 3-for-3 with two doubles on 8/15 at St. Louis...Tied career high with three RBI on 8/22 at San Francisco...Hit .310 (26-for-84) in 24 games during the month of August and .315 (23-for-73) with 12 RBI in 21 games the following month...Recorded fourth career three-RBI game on 9/19 vs. San Diego...Connected off Cincinnati's Mike Leake for first career leadoff home run on 9/20...Produced a .297 average (33-for-111), 16 RBI and 11 runs scored in 28 games from the leadoff spot...Hit .322 (37-for-115) with runners on base and .318 (14-for-44) with runners in scoring position and two outs...Finished regular season hitting .409 (9-for-22) with six RBI in his final seven games.
2013 POSTSEASON: Went 0-for-4 as a pinch hitter during the Division Series against St. Louis...Also played the final inning of Game Five in left field.
2012
Was Pittsburgh's Opening Day starter in right field and went 4-for-36 (.111)
in his first 10 games thru 4/18...Hit .316 (24-for-76) over a 19-game stretch from 4/20 to 5/12,
raising average to a season-high .250 following the action on 5/12...Tripled in back-to-back games
on 5/11-12...Hit two of his three home runs during the month of May and his final one with the
Pirates on 6/25 at Philadelphia...Had season-high three RBI on 6/1 at Milwaukee...Was optioned
to Triple-A Indianapolis on 7/3 after hitting .230 in his first 72 games with the Pirates...Hit safely
in his first five Triple-A games (7-for-23, .304) before going 5-for-27 (.185) in his next eight...
Had four hits and four RBI on 8/2 at Scranton/WB...Hit safely in eight straight games from 7/27
thru 8/5 (15-for-31, .484), raising his Triple-A average from .259 to .321...Made 25 appearances
in center field and 15 in right field while playing with Indianapolis...Was recalled by Pittsburgh
on 8/19 when Starling Marte went on the disabled list and hit .284 (23-for-81) in his last 31 big
league games...Served as leadoff hitter for nine of his first 10 games upon returning to the Pirates
and went 10-for-38 (.263) with six walks and six runs scored...Tied season high (three times) with three hits on 8/20 at San Diego...Hit .333
(13-for-39) in his final 20 games, beginning with his two-hit game on 9/2 at Milwaukee..Was caught stealing in his last five attempts with the
Pirates after swiping last big league base on 6/15 at Cleveland...Made 77 appearances (49 starts) in right field and 32 appearances (30 starts)
in left field while playing with Pittsburgh...Hit .216 (37-for-171) and produced a .295 OBP while appearing in 44 games as the leadoff batter.
2011
Was limited to 91 games due to two separate stints on the disabled list...
Made 70 starts in left field, 13 in right field and two in center field...Hit .316 (56-for-177) in 49
games at PNC Park...Was the Opening Day leadoff hitter and starter in left field...Hit safely in each
of his first 10 games and scored 11 runs thru 4/10...Hit first home run and tallied first RBI in eighth
game on 4/8 vs. Colorado; also had walkoff double in the 14th inning that night...Had career-high
four hits while batting second for the first time on 4/16 at Cincinnati...Homered three times in
his first 15 games thru 4/17; hit just one home run (8/17) in his final 76 games...Reached base
safely in his first 15 games before going 0-for-5 on 4/16...Went 5-for-35 in 11-game stretch from
4/24 thru 5/9, dropping his season average from .289 to .225...Left game on 4/30 at Colorado
with tightness in right hamstring after grounding out in the 1st inning...Missed four games before
returning to action on 5/6...Had second four-hit game on 6/8 vs. Arizona...Hit .295 (26-for-88) in
23 games during the month of June...Left the game on 6/26 vs. Boston with a strained left quad
after beating out an infield hit in the 1st inning and was placed on the 15-day disabled list the
following day...Went 1-for-8 with an RBI on a rehab assignment with Class-A Bradenton from
7/13-20 before reaggravating the injury and returning to Pittsburgh for further medical checkups...
Began rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on 8/6 and went 11-for-33 (.333) with two RBI
in nine rehab games with the Indians...Was recalled from rehab and reinstated from the D.L. on 8/16...Homered in second game back on
8/17 vs. St. Louis...Produced a 10-game hitting streak from 6/26 thru 8/24, going 16-for-39 (.410) and raising season average from .262
to .281...Agreed to terms on a contract extension thru 2016 on 8/21...Had a .290 average with the Pirates in August...Missed the final 20
games due to a small fracture in his left hand; was diagnosed with the injury on 9/6...Hit .290 (65-for-224) and produced a .373 on-base
percentage while scoring 47 runs in 57 games as the leadoff batter.
2010
Began season with Indianapolis (AAA), where he hit safely in each of his first 11 games (16-for-49, .327) and in
24 of his first 26 thru 5/8 (41-for-115, .357)...Was also successful in 18 of his first 20 stolen base attempts thru 5/10...Had season-high
four hits and three stolen bases on 5/2 at Lehigh Valley...Produced five straight multi-hit games
from 5/2-8, hitting .600 (12-for-20) and raising season average from .305 to .357...Went 6-
for-34 (.176) in his next eight games before banging out three hits on 5/18 vs. Scranton/WB...Hit
safely in his last five Triple-A games and in seven of his last eight...Hit .322 (65-for-202) and
scored 39 runs in 48 games as the leadoff batter with Indianapolis...Also hit .329 (57-for-173)
against right-handed pitchers and .235 (12-for-51) against lefties...Made 39 appearances in
center field and 15 in left field while playing with Indianapolis and did not make an error...Was
recalled by Pittsburgh on 6/9 and made Major League debut as a starter in left field that night
in Washington...Had an infield hit to short off John Lannan in his first big league at bat; went
2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in the game...Tallied first RBI in his second game on 6/10
at Washington...Reached base safely in his first eight games with the Pirates, hitting safely in
seven of them...Connected off John Danks of the White Sox for first Major League home run on
6/16 at PNC Park...Was successful in each of his first five stolen base attempts with the Pirates
before being caught for the first time on 6/20 at Chicago (NL)...Hit safely in 23 of his first 25
games following the All-Star break, going 39-for-101 (.386) and raising average from .241 to
.309 following the action on 8/11 at San Diego...Had a 12-game hitting streak from 7/20 thru 8/1 (20-for-50, .400)...Committed lone error
(throwing) while playing center field on 8/20 vs. New York (NL)...Swiped two bases on 9/10 at Cincinnati...Made lone appearance as a
pinch hitter on 9/12 at Cincinnati...Tripled in back-to-back games on 9/21-22...Hit safely in career-high 14 consecutive games from 9/17
thru 10/1 (18-for-55, .327)...Went hitless in his last eight at bats to drop season-ending average below .300...Ranked second in the
National League with 93 hits after the All-Star break, trailing only Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez (95)...His .322 average after the break was
the seventh-best in the league...Made 92 starts in left field and nine in center field for the Pirates...Had a team-high 31 infield hits, which
included a pair of bunt base hits...Hit .328 (85-for-259) in 66 games from the second spot of the batting order and .255 (35-for-137) from
the leadoff spot...Also went 1-for-8 in two games while batting third for the Pirates...Produced a .380 average (30-for-79) while batting
with runners in scoring position and a .331 average (45-for-136) with runners on base.
2009
Was ranked by Baseball America
as Pittsburgh's third-best prospect prior to the season...Hit .293
(106-for-362) with 22 doubles, five home runs, 35 RBI and 11
stolen bases in 93 combined games between Double-A Altoona
and Triple-A Indianapolis...Missed 37 games with Altoona from
4/29 to 6/9 with a strained right hamstring...Ranked fifth among Bucco farmhands in batting...Was Altoona's Opening Day starter in
center field and went 2-for-5 with an RBI on 4/8 at Erie...Hit .250 (16-for-64) with six RBI in 17 games during the month of
April...Suffered a strained right hamstring on 4/28 at Reading and was placed on the disabled list the following day...Was reinstated
and returned to the lineup on 6/10 at New Britain, but left midway through the game after experiencing mild cramping and did not
return to the lineup again until 6/16...Made first 16 defensive appearances in center field, but became Altoona's primary right fielder
following the acquisition of Gorkys Hernandez on 6/3...Hit first Double-A home run on 6/19 vs. Connecticut...Produced a 13-game
hitting streak from 7/5-19 (18-for-54, .333)...Snapped streak by going hitless in pinch-hit appearance on 7/20...Recorded the fourth
four-hit game of his career the following day; 7/21 vs. Reading...Recorded at least one hit in 21 of his final 24 contests with Altoona,
raising his batting average from .265 to .303 during that span...Made 36 appearances in right field and 22 in center field while
playing with the Curve; also went 5-for-16 (.313) in five games as the designated hitter...Was promoted to Indianapolis on 7/30 and
went 3-for-3 with two walks in his first game with the Indians on 8/1 at Durham...Hit .385 (15-for-39) with a homer and four RBI
in his first nine Triple-A games thru 8/10...Hit first home run with Indianapolis on 8/7 vs. Charlotte...Went 26-for-74 (.351) with three
home runs and seven RBI in his first 17 games with Indy thru 8/22; went 11-for-60 (.183) with three RBI in final 15 games...Had
lone sacrifice bunt on 8/24 - his third career and first since 4/21/08...Made 17 appearances in right field and 15 in center field
while playing with Indianapolis...Participated in the Arizona Fall League and hit .392 (47-for-120) with six doubles, three triples, a
homer and 21 RBI in 28 games with the Scottsdale Scorpions (club managed by Pittsburgh Minor League Field Coordinator Jeff
Banister)...Went 6-for-7 with four runs scored in his final game on 11/19 and 11-for-15 in his last three contests...Led the league in
hits and at bats, ranked third in batting average, third in total bases (62) and fourth in runs scored (21).
2008
Entered season ranked as third-best prospect in New York Yankess farm system by Baseball America...Also rated by same
publication as the "Best Hitter for Average" in system for the second straight year...Hit .277 (109-for-394) with eight home runs, 56
RBI and 18 stolen bases in 105 minor league games, including four games spent on injury rehab with Gulf Coast League Pirates...Began
season with Trenton (Yankees' AA); at 19 years and 7 months, was the second-youngest player on an Eastern League Opening Day
roster behind Binghamton's Fernando Martinez (19 years, 5 months)...Batted .186 (18-for-97) in his first 26 games (thru 5/2), but
hit .290 (29-for-100) in the final 26 games during the month of May...Went 3-for-6, hit his first Double-A home run and tallied four
RBI in Trenton's 15-5 win at Reading on 5/21...Also homered and knocked in four runs on 6/29 at Portland...Suffered a hamstring
injury during 7/1 contest vs. Portland and went on the D.L. the following day...Did not return to action for the Thunder before being
traded from New York to Pittsburgh as part of six-player deal on 7/26...Made all 68 defensive appearances in right field while
playing with Trenton...Made debut in Pirates organization on a rehab assignment in Bradenton and went 5-for-11 with two homers,
seven RBI and four runs scored in four games from 8/2-6 (two games in LF, one in RF and one as the DH)...Hit two home runs and
tallied five RBI on 8/5 against the GCL Red Sox...Was assigned to Altoona on 8/8 and made his Curve debut that night at
Harrisburg...Started each of the Curve's final 22 games in center field...Hit safely in 12 of his next 13 contests (23-for-54, .426) after
going hitless in first game with Altoona...Went 4-for-4 on 8/13 at Portland...Hit first home run with the Curve on 8/16 at New
Hampshire...Delivered a walk-off single in the 11th inning of the Curve's 5-4 win vs. Reading on 8/30...Batted .286 (36-for-126) with
one home run, 14 RBI and nine stolen bases in 43 games with Anzoategui during the Venezuelan Winter League.
2007
Spent entire season with Tampa (Yankees' A) and led team in batting average...Ranked fourth among Florida State League leaders
in hitting...Was named to Florida State League's post-season All-Star team...Did not go more than two straight games without a hit the
entire season...Made all 87 defensive appearances in right field...Also went 12-for-71 (.169) in 16 games as the designated hitter...Hit
.400 (16-for-40) in first 11 games thru 4/16...Went 0-for-8 in 20-inning game vs. Clearwater on 4/16 (Tampa lost the game 4-1)...Hit safely
in 16 of his 18 games from 4/27 thru 5/20, going 24-for-74 (.324) and raising season average from .276 to .300...Reached base safely
in each of his first 18 road games from 4/5 thru 5/22...Had back-to-back three-hit games on 5/31 and 6/1...Led team with a .354 average
during the month of June...Had season-high four hits on 7/3 at Clearwater...Reached base safely in 15 of his last 16 games...Homered twice
in his final five contests...Produced a .341 average with runners in scoring position, going 42-for-123 with 46 RBI.
2006
Spent entire season with Charleston, New York's entry in the the South Atlantic League...Was named to the mid-season All-Star
team and went 1-for-3 during the MLB Futures Game played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh...Began campaign with a .356 average (32-for-
90) and 23 RBI in 23 games during the month of April...Had three separate stints on the disabled list due to an injured left thumb (5/18-25,
7/19 to 8/4 and 8/6 thru the end of the season)...Made 72 appearances in right field and two in center field...Also went 12-for-45 (.267)
with 10 RBI in 11 games as the designated hitter...Had five RBI on 4/16 at Augusta...Homered in back-to-back games on 5/5 and
5/6...Reached base safely in 24 straight games from 5/2 thru 6/2...Hit fifth and final home run on 6/1...Hit .315 in June, but just .200 in
July...Produced a .340 average with runners in scoring position, going 33-for-97 with 45 RBI...Played in 18 games and hit .288 during the
Venezuelan Winter League.
2005
Spent first professional season with the Gulf Coast League Yankees and was named to league's post-season All-Star team...Led
league in stolen bases...Made 40 appearances in left field and one in center field (7/8 at GCL Pirates)...Hit first professional home run on
7/27 at GCL Tigers...Hit .300 with 10 RBI in July and .347 with 13 RBI in August...Hit .370 (20-for-54) and knocked in 23 runs while
batting with runners in scoring position...Was ranked by Baseball America as New York's third-best prospect following the season.
