St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Player Oscar Taveras Dead from Car Crash at Age 22

 

St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Player Oscar Taveras Dead from Car Crash at Age 22

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras was tragically killed in a car accident Sunday afternoon in the Dominican Republic at only age 22. Taveras' girlfriend, Edilia Arvelo, 18, also died in the crash, according to police in Puerto Plata.

Taveras was considered one of MLB's top prospects and was brought up to the Cardinals and played in their post-season run this year. 

Taveras had been scheduled to play in this winter's league for Águilas, and team members put Taveras's jersey, bat, and batting helmet up in the dugout. 

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak expressed his condolences. "I simply can't believe it. I first met Oscar when he was sixteen years old and will forever remember him as a wonderful young man who was a gifted athlete with an infectious love for life who lived every day to the fullest."

"We are all stunned and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of the youngest members of the Cardinals family," Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. "Oscar was an amazing talent with a bright future who was taken from us well before his time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends tonight."

Taveras batted .239 in 80 games in his first year with the Cards, finishing the season as a part-time outfielder.

"All of us throughout Major League Baseball are in mourning this evening, shocked by the heartbreaking news of the accident involving Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend in the Dominican Republic," MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "Oscar, a young member of the Baseball family, was full of promise and at the dawn of a wonderful career in our game, evident in his game-tying home run against the Giants exactly two weeks ago."

"We are very saddened to learn of the news that a car accident has claimed the life of Oscar Tavares and his girlfriend in the Dominican Republic," MLB Players Association director Tony Clark said in a statement. "Oscar had a very promising future, on and off the field, and this news is heartbreaking on many levels. It's never easy to lose a member of our fraternity, and to lose one so young is devastating news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of both, as well as to the St. Louis Cardinals organization and Oscar's many fans in the United States and the Dominican Republic."

Taveras was a .320 hitter over six minor league seasons, including .386 as a teenager in the Class A Midwest League in 2011.

 

 

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