Above: Oscar Taveras

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras was killed on Sunday in a car accident in the Dominican Republic.

Taveras, a 22-year-old native of Puerto Plata who had been considered a rising star for the Cardinals, was killed along with his girlfriend in a crash near his home in Puerto Plata.

Details of the accident are still unknown.

“We are all stunned and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of the youngest members of the Cardinals family,” said Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt, Jr 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.”

He batted .239 with three home runs and 22 RBI for the Cardinals this past season, his first in the majors.

“I simply can’t believe it,” said John Mozeliak, senior VP and general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. “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.”