Remembering St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras
It’s a mystery what might’ve flashed before Oscar Taveras‘ eyes and through his mind in the moments leading up to when the lights went out. I’m sure a ball diamond and the smell of fresh cut grass were driven somewhere deep into his subconscious. A fleeting moment in time might have made the St. Louis Cardinals‘ prospect question his actions, aware he had thrown away a life and opportunity many kids grow up dreaming about.
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Taveras was inebriated around five times the legal limit as the toxicology report noted before he crashed his red Chevrolet Camaro inPuerto Plata last year. He made a mistake and paid dearly for it. Humans are prone to them — mistakes that is — but the reality of it all still is heartbreaking. Of course, the loss of life extended beyond Taveras himself. His companion, Edilia Arvelo, was also a casualty, and surely her family is still coping with the events from last October.
On this day last year, Taveras made his Major League debut for St. Louis. He homered in his first game, a 2-0 win over the San Francisco Giants, and gradually marketed his billing as a top prospect. After a slow start as a 22-year-old rookie, Taveras eventually found his stroke and hit .295/.340/.386 in September and helped propel the Cardinals to a Central division title. He hit .429 with a home run in seven postseason at-bats. Shortly thereafter, things faded to black.
The emotional toll and impact the Cardinals organization dealt with after losing one of their own is unfathomable. The clubs loss is permanent and ever reminding as evidenced by the black “OT” patches worn by players this season on jersey’s. As superficial and tense as it might be to touch on the business side of losing Taveras, it’s still something very real that St. Louis had to deal with.
St. Louis Cardinals
The National League is abuzz over the excitement of young talents like Joc Pederson, Kris Bryant and Addison Russell right now. Few might remember that Taveras’ name was supposed to be mentioned in the same breath this season with the others. He probably would have started in right field for the Cardinals.
The correlating derivative from Taveras’ untimely passing became the Cardinals trading for Jason Heyward. The move was necessitated by St. Louis and the Braves were found to be agreeable in negotiations. Heyward is not doing anything special this season so far. The 25-year-old is hitting .245 with four home runs and 12 RBI and most recently hit eighth in the batting order. He has appeared in 41 of the Cards’ 42 games, however, so his durability is pleasingly discernible.
But going the other way in the trade was pitcher Shelby Miller. With no more Adam Wainwright in 2015, Miller’s outings so far this season would have been a blessing in the Cardinals’ rotation. While Heyward’s current WAR sits at 0.6, Miller’s is at 2.3 as he’s nearly muted opposing bats over the last seven weeks. Miller leads the NL in ERA (1.33), CG (2) and SHO (2). He is 5-1 and a name to seriously note for Cy Young consideration at this juncture in time.
Apr 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals teammates watch a tribute video to memorialize former Cardinal Oscar Taveras before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Cardinals cannot and will not regret trading away a possible future ace for a serviceable right fielder, but the move appears to have added insult to injury for them. First, the loss of a friend and teammate, followed by the growth and shining development of another ball player drafted and brought up through their system but now succeeding elsewhere. For as well as a Wainwright-less Cardinals club has been playing, one can only ponder where they might be with Miller alongside Michael Wacha, John Lackey, Lance Lynn and Carlos Martinez on the staff.
The St. Louis Cardinals are a great franchise. They epitomize professionalism, competitiveness and achieving goals on a consistent basis. The only true shame that comes with continued success in 2015 is that Oscar Taveras could not be around to contribute, grow and flourish alongside his fellow comrades.