Oscar Taveras

As I sit in my office going through email after email, I’m finding it incredibly hard to focus. Every few seconds, it seems like my mind goes back to Oscar Taveras and his family. I can’t imagine what they must be going through. I have driven that road where he had his accident many times. I have driven in storms here where it becomes impossible to see. That could have been anyone.

But it wasn’t just anyone … Taveras represents every Dominican kid’s fantasy of being a superstart. He was ranked by MLB as #3 prospect in all of baseball before the season. This hit even closer to home for me as he plays in the winters with Santiago’s home team the Aguilas. He is one of the most naturally gifted players of the past 5-10 years.  His final at-bat was a pinch-hit playoff home run! He had it all.

Will Partin and I had the privilege of spending a few days with the Cardinals at Spring Training in 2013 down in Jupiter, FL. Taveras had already received countless minor league accolades and was the next big thing. He hit a 420 foot home run in his 1^st at bat that day, I will never forget it. But what really stood out to me was our time interviewing a few of the Dominican players on the team. We went into the locker room, all of the American players were joking around and laughing, like most teams, getting dressed before heading out for practice. In the corner, there were 4-5 latino players, including Taveras, just kinda sitting there starting into their lockers.  When you think Dominican baseball you think about energy, passion, and drive … These guys looked like they were out of place. Taveras looked like he was missing something. He was not the same person that I had grown to admire for his amazing performance in the previous Winter ball season.

They had “made it.” In the eyes of everyone back home in the DR, these guys were living the dream! They were on the road to the big leagues. If you ask any player in our academy if they could switch places with Taveras at that time they would have jumped at it. We saw a different side. We saw an empty side. I saw a player miles away from family. I saw a player struggling to learn English. I saw a player burdened with being the only hope for his entire family, and most likely community, to be the next big thing. It was sad. Just last week, Will and I were talking about this experience in the locker room and how it stuck with us. 

I don’t know where Taveras stood spiritually. I pray that he had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and that he is in heaven celebrating today. I don’t know. What I do know, is that life is short. Taveras represented everything that Dominican players “want” in this world. Recognition, money, success .. everything. But if he had everything then why did it seem so empty in Jupiter, FL? This is a wake-up call for me. We have a limited time here on Earth, and what are we doing with it? What are we chasing? Are we chasing the things that the world or our culture tell us matter? I want to chase what is eternal, and I want to bring as many people as I can with me on this journey! Please join me in praying for all of the baseball players here. This is a time where they are asking questions, this is a time where there is confusion and hurt. I don’t care if they are a 9 year old practicing at our field, or a 10-time all-star in the major leagues .. this one stings. I pray that God can use this situation to bring some good out of it and show many that there is so much more to life than Baseball.

God bless.