Jose Tabata Might Be Fastest Aging Prospect In Baseball

Interesting piece out of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review this morning from Rob Biertempfel on purported “rumblings” that 21-year old Jose Tabata might actually be in his mid-20s.  Tabata, who was acquired from the New York Yankees in 2008 as part of the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte trade, is considered among the Pirates’ top prospects along with Pedro Alvarez.

The Venezuelan born outfielder is no stranger to controversy as his insatiable thirst for cougars had gotten him mixed up in a fake pregnancy/kidnapping scandal last season.

Whether or not Tabata is 21-years old, or 25 does not appear to be a major concern for Neal Huntington.  The Bucs’ general manager admitted in an interview with the Trib that there are “a lot of rumblings” regarding Tabata’s actual age, but claims that the Pirates took every step necessary to confirm the validity of his birth documents.  In corresponding with Biertempfel, Huntington had this to say on the matter:

“All of the documentation he has used to obtain his visa from the U.S. government and his passport from the Venezuelan government indicates his reported age is accurate,” Huntington said in an e-mail to the Tribune-Review. “Apart from unfounded speculation, there is nothing to indicate his age any different than reported. My point is that while we have reason to doubt his reported age, it is a non-issue to us.”

It sounds like Huntington will let Tabata’s performance on the field dictate his career trajectory.  Tabata is set to begin the season at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he appeared in 32 games in 2009.  To look at this in context, there’s no way in hell that Albert Pujols was 21-years old when he made his debut… with male pattern baldness.

Tags: Jose Tabata, Pittsburgh Pirates