By the time he was 34, Tabaka had been drafted three times, spent time with six major-league teams, played with 10 different organizations (including two stints with the
Montreal Expos and
Pittsburgh Pirates), signed seven free-agent contracts, been traded once and claimed off waivers once. A career reliever, he spent much of the 1998-99 seasons on the disabled list before signing a minor-league deal with the
St. Louis Cardinals. In eight appearances the lefty gave up three earned runs, elevating his career ERA to 4.31.
Tabaka prefers the stress on his name to come in the middle syllable, pronounced Tuh-BAW-kuh.
(EPW)
Jeff Tabaka
