St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras and one of the top prospects of the past several seasons, died yesterday in an auto accident in his native Dominican Republic.
USA Today reported that Taveras’ girlfriend also died in the crash, according to police in Puerto Plata.
The Dominican newspaper Listin Diario said the name of his girlfriend is Edilia Arvelo. She was 18.
“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.”
Lieutenant Junior Lopez Reyes of the Puerto Plata police confirmed Taveras and his girlfriend had died.
Taveras was heading from Jamao to his hometown of Sosua, near Puerto Plata in the Atlantic Coast of the Dominican Republic.
Taveras, 22, debuted with the Cardinals this season and batted .239 in 80 games, finishing the season as a part-time outfielder.
The Cardinals were planning for him to compete with Randal Grichuk for the starting right field job but wanted him to focus on improving his conditioning during this offseason.
Information from USA Today contributed to this report
