Talented Prospect Taveras Killed in Car Accident
On Oct. 26, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras passed away in an automobile accident in the Dominican Republic. The tragic news of his death spread quickly, with baseball fans world-wide shedding tears for the promising youth. At the age of 22, his life was taken from him, leaving the average baseball fan to never realize just how great he could have been.
At the age of 19, the young Taveras was mashing baseballs to the tune of a .386 batting average in Single-A Quad Cities. Ever since then, the Cardinals organization knew he was a special talent.
In 2012, the Cardinals rewarded the young lefty by promoting him to Double-A Springfield. Taveras went on to display the pop in his bat, hitting 23 home runs with a .572 slugging percentage. Taveras’s stand-out season only solidified his case as one of the most talented young players in the game.
Prior to the 2013 season, MLB.com ranked Taveras as the third best prospect in the majors. Too talented to play for Double-A, Taveras earned a promotion to Triple-A to further test his skills. Taveras answered with a .306 batting average in 46 games. Though it wasn’t eye-popping, as his season was hampered by injury, it secured him a spot on the Memphis roster for 2014.
In 62 games for Memphis, Taveras hit a .318 batting average, only further proving that he was ready for the big leagues. On May 31, manager Mike Matheny penciled in Taveras to start his first career major league game. After he stepped into the box for his second career at-bat, Taveras lifted a slider from Giants’ reliever Yusmeiro Petit into the right-field seats. Everyone in baseball realized the excitement that this young man could bring. Though he went on to finish his first season as a big leaguer with a mediocre .239 batting average, and as a platoon outfielder, he would make the postseason roster.
Taveras succeeded in several pinch-hit opportunities for the Cardinals in October. Perhaps his most glorious achievement came in Game 2 of the NLCS. Pinch-hitting for pitcher Carlos Martinez, Taveras smacked a 2-1 changeup from Giants’ reliever Jean Machi that hasn’t landed yet. Heroically, Taveras tied the game up 3-3, which eventually ended in a Cardinals’ win after a Kolten Wong walk-off.
Taveras was adored by many. The talent this young man had was impeccable, and the excitement he brought to the game was rare. Countless individuals, including teammates and other MLB players, mourn over him. In Game 6 of the World Series, Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura paid tribute to Taveras by writing “R.I.P. O.T. #18” on his cap. Two days after his death, Busch Stadium left the right-field lights on, shining down on the grass that Taveras covered.
Though Taveras is gone, he surely won’t be forgotten. There is no doubt that Taveras will be there next year, as in angel in the outfield, watching over the field he once defended.