Cardinals will honor Oscar Taveras in 2015

Honoring the memory of one of St. Louis Cardinals’ talented players.

2015 will be a year in which the St. Louis Cardinals remember one of their most talented players, Oscar Taveras, who showed promise and had his career and life cut far too short. Oscar made his debut in /4/2014 and killed in a car accident in October 2014. A man who was the first from his small town of Sosua, Dominican Republic to reach Major League Baseball. 

This year the Cardinals honor Oscar Taveras in many ways, to remember the talented and have him become a symbol for all those young kids who dream of making it to the Majors. 

The announcement on how Cardinals honor Oscar Taveras came during their winter warm up event on Sunday. Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. made the announcement. Cardinals will be adding a black patch on the sleeve of their 2015 jerseys. The patch will have an ‘OT’ in this the Cardinals honor Oscar Taveras with every game they play, at home and away. These are similar to the ones that they have used in the past to honor Darryl Kile and Josh Hancock. 

Bill DeWitt Jr. announces #STLCards will honor the late Oscar Taveras wearing an OT sleeve patch in 2015. #OT18 pic.twitter.com/J3WPMuTwau— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) January 18, 2015

Cardinals will honor Oscar Taveras with black patches that will have ‘OT’ but will omit his number 18, which is being worn by his friend pitcher Carlos Martinez, in memory and in honor of his friend who went far too soon. 

Cardinals will also honor Oscar Taveras in another way, which will not only promote children to play and dream of possible chance in the Majors. They have committed themselves to provide funds to renovate the baseball field in Oscar’s hometown of Sousa.

The field will be named Oscar Taveras Field. This will be a legacy that will live on for generations. Cardinals will honor Oscar Taveras by creating a place where dreams can come true. Taveras was the first from Sousa and maybe with this field will see more such talented players emerge. 

#STLCards will also renovate Oscar Taveras’ hometown field in Sosua, DR, making it a 1st-class facility honoring his legacy for generations.— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) January 18, 2015

Investigation of the car accident in which Oscar, 22 and his18 year old girlfriend died, during the off season while visiting his hometown of Sousa, Dominican Republic, revealed that his blood-alcohol content level was 0.287. This is not the first time that the Cardinals have faced a loss of a player due to driving under the influence of alcohol. John Hancock was also killed while driving intoxicated. 

Cardinals honor Oscar Taveras, as they honored Hancock by removing all alcohol from their homes and clubhouse. These are just a few ways in which the Cardinals honor Oscar Taveras, on a more profound leave, that will impact the team, Manager Mike Matheny will use Spring Training as a chance and opportunity to talk about the loss and reflect on the choices that late outfielder made. 

Cardinals will honor Oscar Taveras to heighten awareness of the choices young players make. Management realizes that younger players, who are overwhelmed and need to be aware of decision making responsibilities. The Cardinals will also honor Oscar Taveras by providing support and education to their new and old players. The goal of Cardinals behind the honor of Oscar Taveras is to provide support each spring and ensure that the newer players as well as the older ones are more aware of the implications their decisions and choices have.