Cards feeling long-term effects of Taveras’ death

ST. LOUIS — Amid the shock and grief that the Cardinals experienced after Oscar Taveras’ tragic death in October 2014 was the jarring realization that a car accident in the Dominican Republic would carry long-term and wide-ranging effects for an organization that always operates with its future in mind.

Taveras was 22 years old and the Cardinals’ top prospect when his Chevrolet Camaro slid off a highway. He had finished his rookie season with an underwhelming slash line (.239/.278/.312), but the Cardinals never believed those early returns were reflective of future production. This was a player the organization was ready to build around.

And then, so suddenly, he was gone.

There remain tangible reminders of Taveras’ absence. A plaque with his number hangs near the entrance of the Cardinals’ Busch Stadium batting cage. Carlos Martinez wears that No. 18 now, and he scribbles a remembrance to his longtime friend in the mound dirt before each start.

But there are subtler indications, too, just as general manager John Mozeliak foreshadowed there would be when he was forced to pivot in his offseason plans two years ago.

“I think back to that tragedy, and I do recall saying to [manager] Mike [Matheny] and others right after that, ‘We’re not going to miss Oscar on the field today or that year. It’s going to be a couple years down the road where we feel that impact,'” Mozeliak said last week. “I do remember realizing that when we did get to 2016 or 2017, you imagined him …

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