Pat Tabler

Patrick Sean "Pat" Tabler (born February 2, 1958 in Hamilton, Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball player and currently a color analyst for the Toronto Blue Jays on the Canadian sports television network Rogers Sportsnet and formerly with Rod Black on TSN.

Playing career

Born in Hamilton, Ohio, Tabler graduated from Archbishop McNicholas High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tabler was a first round draft pick of the New York Yankees (number 16 overall) in 1976, and entered the organization as an outfielder. Tabler never reached the majors with the Yankees and in 1981, they traded him to the Chicago Cubs for players to be named later (the Cubs sent Bill Caudill and Jay Howell to the Yankees to complete the deal).

Chicago Cubs

He made his debut with the Cubs in 1981 as a second baseman. In 1982, the Cubs moved him to third base but he never found much success at the plate in limited playing time.

Cleveland

In 1983, he joined the Cleveland Indians and became their starting first baseman. That year he hit .291 in 124 games. He became quickly known as a line drive hitter and continued to have modest success at the plate. His best season was in 1987 when he became an all-star, hitting .307 with 11 home runs and 86 runs batted in. Along with first base he was well suited for the designated hitter role he inherited from Andre Thornton in...
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