The Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves in an unfamiliar position this offseason, not only because of the fact that they are coming off the first winning season and postseason appearance in 20 years, but also because the team’s needs are few and far between heading into 2014. However, one of the most glaring needs all year for the 2013 Bucs was a productive right fielder, as the players employed in the spot last year combined to put up some of the worst offensive numbers from the position of any team in major league baseball last year. Since the Pirates decided to tender Travis Snider, it is likely that young slugger Andrew Lambo will start the year in Indianapolis to get some additional seasoning. However, the favorite to gain the starting job alongside Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte will be and should be Jose Tabata, a player who the Pirates have invested time and money in and a player who really came into his own down the stretch last season and his end slash of .282/.342/.429 was impressive considering his poor start.
Tabata was once one of the prized recruits in the organization, and he has shown the ability to hit for both average and power, as well as the ability to get on base at a consistent clip. Marlon Byrd was excellent for the Bucs in their stretch run last year, but he is long gone now and the team’s best move now would be to go internally, and I believe that Tabata can be that guy. His effort and attitude problems that plagued him and the team in 2012 seem to be a thing of the past. He almost never strikes out and his intensity and ability on defense has showed great progress. With phenom Gregory Polanco waiting in the wings, it is definitely worth giving Tabata a very long look in right field. If he ends up improving his power numbers and defense from last season, it would give the Pirates the very nice problem of keeping Polanco in Triple A for an extended period to get him some additional seasoning. Tabata knows that this may be his last chance to prove he can be an everyday major league outfielder, and it is in the Pirates’ best interest to give him that chance.
