The baseball world was shocked and saddened on Sunday night as word of the passing of St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend spread during Game 5 of the World Series. Taveras was only 22 years old and had just completed his first season in the Major Leagues with the Cards. His second-to-last Major League at bat was a memorable one, crushing a game-tying homer in the NLCS.
Several Smokies players took to social media with their reactions, several of whom had played against Taveras.
In total, 12 former Smokies played against Taveras in the Midwest League in 2011. At that time he was a member the Quad Cities River Bandits, who hosted the circuit’s All-Star Game and went on to win the league’s championship that season, while the Smokies players were with the Peoria Chiefs, then the Cubs’ Low-A affiliate.
Former Smokies catcher Yadier Molina was also a teammate of Taveras with the Cardinals, and expressed his grief on Twitter as well in both English and Spanish.
We here at the Smokies also wish to extend our thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend, as well as the entire Cardinals organization.
James Rowe
smokiesradio
Leave a Reply