The Minnesota Twins significantly upped their bonus offer to Queens high schooler Dean Tatarian in 1987, his father reported to The New York Daily News.
Tatarian's father, who also served as the young player's coach, cited one recent home run in particular with helping seal the deal, according to The Daily News.
"I think when he hit the ball out of Yankee Stadium in the Daily News All-Star doubleheader last week, that had a lot to do with it," father Ed Tatarian told The Daily News. "He's worked hard for this. He wants to make professional baseball his livelihood. Now's the time for him to give it a try."
Dean Tatarian went on to play in six professional seasons. He briefly made AAA, but he never got a chance to hit a home run at Yankee Stadium or elsewhere in the bigs as a major leaguer.
He has, however, gone on to follow his father into coaching.
Tatarian's career began that year, taken by the Twins in the 25th round of the draft out of Queens' Cardozo High School.
Tatarian started with the Twins at rookie Elizabethton. He saw 40 games and hit .243. In one July game, Tatarian hit a 12th-inning game-winning double and did so off a reliever he'd had trouble with the previous at-bat, The Johnson City Press wrote.
The reliever 'got me on the slider the time before," Tatarian told The Press afterward. "I was looking for it. He had me a little up front. He just got up a little."
He returned to Elizabethton and played at single-A Kenosha for 1988. He hit .202 in 89 games.
He moved to the White Sox system and short-season Utica for 1989, then Utica and single-A South Bend for 1990. He saw 56 total games in 1990 and hit .282.
Tatarian played 1991 between high-A Sarasota, AA Birmingham and AAA Vancouver. He saw 10 games at Vancouver. He hit 6 for 19.
He played one final season, in 1992, with the Royals at high-A Baseball City to end his career.
Tatarian then went into education and youth coaching. He got his master's in education. He's also served as a coach in college and high school. He's also served as an instructor through Fundamental Baseball.
1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:3,622
Made the Majors:1,248-34.5%
Never Made Majors:2,374-65.5%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:520
10+ Seasons in the Minors:307
Made the Majors:1,248-34.5%
Never Made Majors:2,374-65.5%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:520
10+ Seasons in the Minors:307
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