Former Yankees Prospect Fooled Team On Age?
A former Yankees top prospect is in the news – again. Via Pittsburgh Tribune-Review with a h/t to BBTF -
His birth certificate and passport say outfielder Jose Tabata was born Aug. 12, 1988, in Anzoategui, Venezuela. Yet, during a recent radio interview, general manager Neal Huntington admitted there are “a lot of rumblings” that Tabata might actually be in his mid-20s.
In Latin America, record-keeping can be spotty, especially when it comes to youngsters with excellent baseball skills. The New York Yankees investigated Tabata’s background in 2005 and, satisfied he truly was 16, signed him as an undrafted free agent.
The Pirates are not publicly disputing Tabata’s age, and yet …
“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.”
Even if Tabata should have three or four more candles on his birthday cake, he’s still considered a top prospect. But how good he is, to a degree, does depend on his age.
With Tabata, it’s always something. As a Yankees fan, I don’t miss having him in the organization, at all.
