The other day in the Winter League recap from Tuesday, I mentioned that Jose Tabata was on the roster of Caribes de Anzoategui of the Venezuelan League. It was mentioned earlier in the off-season that Tabata most likely will not play, though nothing was definite at the time. Today I came across an article (link is in Spanish) that confirms the Pirates will not allow Jose Tabata to play Winter Ball this year.
Tabata’s agent Carlos Rios, posted recently on Twitter that the Pirates confirmed to him that Tabata won’t be allowed to play and Rios was quoted as saying “We respect the decision of the Pirates but we totally disagree. Tabata needs to play to mature as a player.”
Between his time with the Pirates and his stint at Indianapolis this year, Tabata played 144 games, receiving a total of 547 plate appearances. This will mark the second year in a row that Tabata will not play Winter Ball.
