Tabata waits his turn
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Feb 21, 2008 
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It’s Photo Day today, which means the players put on their uniforms and pose for photos. It’s one of the rituals of spring training.
Meanwhile, I leaned a little about Jose Tabata yesterday.
The kid has the misfortune of having the locker next to Derek Jeter. Unlike some of his more celebrated teammates, the captain likes to meet the media at his locker instead of in the dugout or some room.
That was the case yesterday. Jeter leaned against the post dividing his locker from Tabata’s and took questions for about 15 minutes.
About halfway through, Tabata showed up. There were at least five writers directly in front of his locker and they didn’t notice Tabata behind them. It’s customary for us to try and make room for a player in such circumstances. But it’s tough in spring training because there are so many players in the room and little space.
Some guys would have been mad and shoved their way in. Tabata stood watching patiently. I happened to notice him and in my best college Spanish (which isn’t too good) I said we would get out of his way in a minute.
“It’s OK,” he said.
Jeter wrapped up the interview a few minutes later and Tabata got his seat.
Get used to it, kid. But maybe someday you’ll have a big crowd around your locker.
Jose will be at that level soon enough. He should enjoy the less pressurized situation he’s in while he can.
Pete,
Why didn’t you interview Tabata now, instead of waiting to when he comes up in August when the media will jump on the bandwagon.
Good question, Marc.
I agree with Marc. Derek always gives boring answers..lol
Jose might have been a lot more fun to talk to. You blew your chance Pete!
I too would be interested in a Tabata interview, for awhile he was our only prospect other than Hughes that was worth mentioning.
cant wait to see jose in trenton this year.
Tabata and AJax patrolling the OF, maybe Hit-Streak Hilligoss on the hot corner?
Trenton was all about the pitching staff last year, and it looks like this year, we’ll get some of the better offensive prospects to come thru town.
I think, Pete, most of us would be curious to hear what Tabata has to say. We seem to have a thing for youngsters on this blog!
guys, pete didn’t ‘blow his chance’, it was the 1st day of full squad workouts, you think jose is the top story on day 1? The guy’s gonna be back at that locker everyday for at least the next month, i’m sure pete will catch up with jose, maybe after he’s gotten to a few of the new york yankees first?
and its likely that mr. college spanish might need an interpreter to do a meaningful interview.
leave the reporting to the professional
Pete can probably interview Tabata whenever. Plus what are you going to ask Tabata?
Heres a question:
If Tabata and Ajax are both starting in Trenton, who plays CF? Aren’t they both CF’s? What does Tabata feel about playin a corner OF position if Tabata turns out to be a better CF?
im very psyched that i got tickets for that trenton scranton game on april 1st! jose and ajax and who knows who the starters will be. its the day after yankees opening day. i cant wait!
Pete my favorite blog master,you always bring us good Yankee tidbits AAAAh~
i believe Tabata is pegged as the future RF, and AJax as the future CF. Tabata’s body frame, as it fills out, will seemingly limit him to a corner OF position. I believe he has the plus arm to handle RF well defensively, too.
and, just to add a running thought on the positioning of lockers in camp, i think it’s very telling to see Tabata lockered next to Jeter.
So you people want Pete to just stop paying attention in the middle of a derek jeter interview to speak to jose tabata? Come on guys..
Furthermore, if you didnt pick up on it, it seems that Jose barely speaks english, and pete barely speaks spanish. That would be some great interview on the spot.
burnie,
Somehow, when Tabata comes up to the majors and all the reporters surround him, they will find someway to communicate.
TurnTwo,
Do you know which one is playing CF at Trenton?
Marc, im sure in the future when people need to speak to him he will have a translator. My point was that right now, an interview wouldnt have been the easiest thing to do on the spot.
If they want to speak to him now, im sure a translator would be arranged, but it wouldnt be so easy to facilitate in a matter of seconds.
i couldnt tell you for sure, but i would imagine if paired together, AJax would be in CF.
According to the scouting reports i’ve read, his value projects as a natural CF… and when you take him out of CF, his tools dont translate to your prototypical corner OF value.
burnie is right, Jeter was the interview, it’s only the 3rd day of workouts for the whole team, it’s probably some of the first access to the players. Tabata will be there all Spring, plenty of time to interview plus there needs to be an interpreter around, which probably need to be scheduled.
I took Latin in college, but I did take Spanish in high school. I can now measure the time since in terms of a portion of a century, but I have two questions I could ask Senor Tabata:
1. Tu hablo Espanol?
2. Quales de los animales viven en la casa?
I’m sure I’d at least leave the man blinking slowly, scratching his head.
“If Tabata and Ajax are both starting in Trenton, who plays CF? Aren’t they both CF’s? What does Tabata feel about playin a corner OF position if Tabata turns out to be a better CF?”
Tabata’s already been playing RF because he’s been on teams with guys who play a better defensive CF. It’s not a big deal.
im pretty sure jose and ajax played in tampa at the same time last year, anybody know who played where?
Buddy Biancalana,
Tabata won’t be there the whole spring. The Yanks will send him down at a certain point in ST since he is not on the 40 man roster.
whozat, yeah i thought i heard he already made the shift.
Marc-
So they send him down in the last 2 weeks or so, that’s a month away.
mark, i dont even speak spanish and that looks wrong to me
Don’t let the kid feel left out Pete, do a profile on him. Pretty please!
I thought Tabata was a corner OF. Maybe I’m wrong (nothing new there)!
Tabata will (hopefully) someday have crowds of reporters surrounding his locker.
marc
when the yanks send jose ‘down’ in about a month, he will only be going across the street to the minor league camp for the rest of ST.
Tabata used to be a CF but they moved him to RF. Jackson is a CF.
Question:
If Tabata plays well and moves to AAA by the end of the year and plays well there. Do the Yankees keep Abrehu? Probably get rid of him anyways.
If Ajax enters the same catagory, would they move Melky to RF next year and put Ajax in CF and again dump Abrehu?
i think it depends on the production they get from Abreu. If Abreu hits .300 with 15hrs, 100 runs scored, 15sb, and has a .370+ OBP i think the Yankees make him a reasonable 2-3 year offer, maybe around $13 million or so a year?
whether or not he takes that is another thing.
Our future outfield could be LF Gardner, CF Jackson, RF Tabata.
I don’t think they bring Abreu back regardless of what he does this year. They’ll probably just take the two draft picks let him walk.
neither ajax or jose are likely to see any mlb AB’s until sept. this year. yankees arent gonna open new YS with either rookie starting in the OF, and they’re not gonna put damon back in CF, so they need a RF for next season.
problem is, i dont see abreau signing for 1 season, and anything longer blocks tabata and/or ajax.
Jimmy,
Gardner is not making this team, dont forget the Yankees do sign Free Agents.
“yankees arent gonna open new YS with either rookie starting in the OF”
i don’t understand this comment.
if one of those 2 guys were beating down the door and were truly major league ready, do you think the yankees would base their decision on what stadium they will be playing in?
if they are ready, they will play.
Pete — Nice touch on what Tabata’s like. I hope he keeps the same attitude. Perhaps having him next to Jeter will give him good reinforcement on how you can carry yourself as a professional and make it to the very top by coming to the park ready to play every day, hustling, and keeping your head in the game. Hope you get an interview with him at some point . . . .
It only blocks AJax or Tabata if they continue to develop at their current rate. If they have a setback in Trenton, injury, etc, Abreu for a multi-year contract would make sense, as long as he himself continues to produce at similar levels to the past couple seasons.
its tough to say either way right now.
hmmm
no they’d base thier decision based on the guy not having 20 mlb ab’s by then
soon Jose Tabata’s name >>>> Derek Jeter
and you can quote me on that, he’s that damn good even better.
Why aren’t the Yankees going to open the a new YS with a rookie starting OF? Is there a rule that says it has to be a veteran?
i was commenting on marc’s original question that supposed either tabata or ajax were tearing up AA and AAA ball, what would the yanks do
if Action tears up AA he goes to AAA if he does the same there he will be up here before September & take the Bronx by storm, most likely they’ll put him in LF at Yankee Stadium to start him off slow and because really LF has the most real estate then he might move to CF.
If Jose Tabata does what I said for Action he comes up most likely the COF spot and it will be hard to take his bat out of the lineup.
AJax isnt going to start in LF, because Damon and Matsui are still under contract for 2009. One of them will be your LF in the new stadium.
If AJax tears it up this season and forces his way in, then you would see him in CF, and perhaps see Melky slide into RF.
If Tabata does the same, he’ll start in RF, and Melky will stay in LF.
those are big IF’s though.
Melky will stay in CF*
if Action tears it up they won’t move him straight into CF they’ll likely put him in LF then switch him to CF. And it really doesn’t matter if Matsui or Damon are under contract this is about fielding the best team too. And most likely they won’t go through the season playing 162 games at thier age.
As for Tabata that kid hits he’ll take someone’s job it won’t be too long before people start asking why he’s not in the lineup.
Call me too optimistic but next years outfield will be: Melky Jackson Tabata.
you are way too optimistic jax, but thats not a bad thing
If Damon is healthy, i dont care how good AJax’s numbers are in the minors, he’s not starting in LF over Johnny Damon in 2009.
this is the same type of argument people made this offseason about yanking Moose from the rotation and sticking him in the bullpen or trading him away because the Yankees had the Holy Trinity.
In theory, sure, its the trendy thing for all the fans love the young guys and project them into the lineup asap, but this just isnt how it works.
Assuming Damon is productive at the top of the lineup in 2008, he’ll be going into 2009 on the last year of his deal, same as Moose. Damon is going to act as a bridge to the young position players, just as Moose was signed to that 2 year contract after the 2006 season to act as a bridge to the next wave of young pitchers.
Damon nearly quit on us last season, if Action shows to be the goods he might take his spot period.
I doubt either Jackson or Tabata open next season in pinstripes.
Its an awfully big jump from AA to the majors. AA to the Yankees? A HUGE jump.
Just look at Cameron Maybin last year. Very talented kid. One can argue he is more talented than either Jackson or Tabata. He hit a HR off Clemens last year, and batted .140 after he hit the HR. He was completely overwhelmed by big league pitching.
Was traded to the Marlins in the Willis-Cabrera deal. He isn’t even assured a starting spot with the Marlins right now.
He still has a big upside. However, can you imagine if he hit .140 in NY? He’d get killed.
Before we decide who will make up the “OF of the future”, let’s see how these kids do in AA. Don’t be surprised if one or both of them, struggle a bit in AA.
They are still very young. They may end up being the two youngest players in AA this year. Give them time to develop.
Neither guy is replacing Johnny Damon next year.
I’m guessing its not a coincidence his locker is next to Jeter’s. Whoever had that idea, it was definitely a good one. The kid has star potential.
It was Cashman’s idea. He likes to pair younger players with certain veterans. If he sees guys gravitate toward certain guys (like Melky and Arod to Cano last year and Hughes and Joba with Pettitte and Clemens), they arrange the lockers accordingly.
You will see lots of shots this year of Hughes, Kennedy and Chamberlain picking the brains of Pettitte, Rivera and Moose.
Its something the Yankees have made a priority ever since they began to re-stock the farm system.
I would have put his locker next to Alex or Robi since they speak the language better & Alex has helped alot of prospects in baseball, Young, Teixeira, Robi, Melky, (Phil Hughes according to Peter Gammons)
I don’t like when teams rush prospects. I think Maybin was up too soon.
SJ44,
Since you believe that neither will make the team next year, will the Yankees sign Abrehu to a new contract?
If he has a good year, I think they will re-sign him to a 2 year deal.
The guy is the perfect person to hit in front of Arod. Unfortunately, some folks think you need to crash into walls to be a good player.
All I know is, when he hits, they win. The numbers don’t lie.
If he has another good season, I’d re-sign him and not think twice about it.
The Yankees aren’t going to put too much on the plates of Jackson and Tabata. Expecting 600 ML AB’s from either next year is wishful thinking. Its not going to happen.
I really like this kid, especially from what little I saw of him in ST last year. He seems to be a good spirit and he looks like he can hit good enough to stick around. He and Montero are my fav prospects right now.
SJ44,
when do you see dellin betances coming up? 2010? he’s my favorite prospect and i’m counting down the days (or years) until he gets his mlb debut…
Betances needs to have a healthy season before you can project his movement in the system.
He was shut down early last year due to elbow issues.
We have to see how he holds up and performs this year before we know about his future.
There’s a “more celebrated” player on the Yankees than Derek Jeter? Really?