The night of October 26, 2014, will forever be remembered by Cardinal fans. On this night, the 22-year-old outfielder Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend passed away in a car crash in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
Oscar Francisco Taveras was born on June 19, 1992 in the Dominican Republic. His father, Francisco, was a minor league player in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization. From ages 12-16, while his father played in the minors, Oscar lived in Montreal, Canada, and obtained Canadian citizenship. At age 16, he returned to the Dominican and was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals. Taveras played six seasons in the Cardinals’ farm system. His compiled stats in the minors show what out-of-this-world potential he possessed. Taveras’s combined batting average was .320 with 45 home runs and 275 runs batted in. His production led to MLB Scout.com labeling him as the best prospect in all of baseball. In 2012, he was named the Texas League Player of the Year. Along with his other many accomplishments while in the minors, Taveras played in two MLB All-Star Futures games.
In May of 2014, Oscar Taveras was called up to the big leagues. In his first professional game, only his second professional at-bat, Taveras hit a solo home run. This past season in Taveras’s rookie campaign, the left- handed slugger hit .239 with three home runs and 22 runs batted in. The highlight of Taveras’s career came when he blasted a pinch hit home run in the 7th inning of game two in the NLCS.
The death of the youngster was a vital blow to his teammates and the entire Cardinal organization. `