 In January 1975, Tobik was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the first round (second overall selection) of the 1975 MLB draft.From 1975 to 1977, he played for the Tigers' farm teams in Lakeland, Florida (the Lakeland Flying Tigers) and Montgomery, Alabama (the Montgomery Rebels).He moved up to the Triple-A Evansville Triplets in 1977 and played in Evansville for parts of the 1977 to 1980 seasons.