Jose Tabata with the Curve:
.372/.400/.512, with a homer and four stolen bases in 43 at bats.
Obviously, it would be just as dumb to judge Tabata solely on his great start as it would to judge Andy LaRoche solely on his poor one, but look what Ken Rosenthal had to say this week:
So far, so good for Pirates Class AA outfielder Jose Tabata, whose questionable makeup has not been an issue since he arrived in a trade from the Yankees. "Everyone says he's a dog, but he played well for me," one scout says. "He ran every ball out, played well defensively. He can flat hit. But if the power is there, it's going to be late coming." Tabata just turned 20, and the Pirates envision him as a hitter who can produce 65 extra-base hits per season while playing quality defense...
Maybe Tabata is benefiting from his change of scenery. I think the "change of scenery" explanation is probably used far too often, but that sort of thing is probably more likely to affect a 20 year-old than a veteran. It's also possible he's just healthier than he was with the Yankees. Or maybe this is all just a batting average-driven fluke.