He was assigned to the Mets' farm system from 1981 to 1985, including stints at Lynchburg, Jacksonville (MS), and Tidewater.

[3] Tarver made his professional debut for Shelby Mets of the South Atlantic league.

Tarver played in 110 games and batted .314 for a team that included future major league players like Lenny Dykstra, Randy Milligan and John Gibbons.

With Tidwater, Tarver was stuck behind a deep outfield rotation that included Darryl Strawberry, Herm Winningham, Marvell Wynne and Rusty Tillman, all high prospects at the time for the Mets.

In November 1985, the Mets traded Tarver to the Boston Red Sox as part of a multi-player deal that also sent pitchers Wes Gardner and Calvin Schiraldi to Boston in exchange for pitchers Tom McCarthy and Bob Ojeda and two minor leaguers.

[4] Tarver made his major-league debut in July 1986 after Boston center fielder Tony Armas was injured.