Cards rookie Taveras killed in auto accident

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras, a 22-year-old slugger who was regarded as one of the majors’ top prospects, died Sunday in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic.

Taveras was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro at the time of the crash on a highway between the beaches of Sosua and Cabarete in Puerto Plata, about 215 miles north of the capital of Santo Domingo, said Col. Diego Pesqueira of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency.

National police spokesman Jacobo Mateo Moquete said he was told by the mayor of Sosua that Taveras lost control of his vehicle and went off the road. Edilia Arvelo, 18, who was in the car with Taveras, also died, said Pesqueira.

Taveras made his major league debut this year. He hit .239 with three homers and 22 RBIs in 80 games.

Taveras was a teenager when he signed with St. Louis as a free agent in 2008. Before this season, Taveras was ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect by MLB.com and Baseball America.

He homered against the Giants’ Yusmeiro Petit in his major league debut on May 31. He also had a big solo drive in the seventh inning of Game 2 in the NLCS against San Francisco.