Oscar Taveras 11 years ago today…

[11WSChamps]

Hard to believe it was that long ago.

Thought he still had a ways to go to be the player a lot of folks thought he could be.

Frankly I remember that smile more than anything else.

I remember hearing the news that evening and it made me sick to my stomach..brought back memories of Blues defenseman Bob Gassoff and Big Red TE JV Cain dying tragically young.

[hugeCardfan]

I was at the HR game. What an exciting day given what I thought he would become.

[An Old Friend]

And don't tell me he just needed more time.
The scouts seemingly are wrong a lot on our side.
Jordan Walker face of baseball and all that.
Yuck.
I watched him.
He was either a 1st baseman
or nothing else.
Maybe LF. Maybe.
Slow as molasses.

He was just 22 years old, had had success at every level of the minors, and was Baseball America's #3 overall rated prospect. He was doing pretty well at Memphis in 2014 (.872 OPS), but he needed more time there--the Cardinals probably rushed him a bit given his potential and the fact they thought he could help them in a pennant race. Judging him based on his first 248 MLB PAs at the age of 22 doesn't make any sense.

I remember Tim McCarver commenting on him.
He was absolutely shocked how bad he was.
Considering he was #3 prospect.
Randal Gritchuk out played him by leaps and bounds.

You’re either trolling, or you see what you want to see.

What did you love about Grichuk’s .278 OBP and why was it meaningfully better than Taveras’ .278 OBP?

Taveras was also coming back from a major injury. Seems too many people either ignore that or were ignorant to it.

It was about the defense at that time.
The guy was a statue out there.
Neither could hit, but at least Gritchuk could play
excellent in the field.
Tavaras was Jordan Walker in 2023

Cause he was returning from ankle surgery.

[Bully4you]

And don't tell me he just needed more time.
The scouts seemingly are wrong a lot on our side.
Jordan Walker face of baseball and all that.
Yuck.
I watched him.
He was either a 1st baseman
or nothing else.
Maybe LF. Maybe.
Slow as molasses.

He was just 22 years old, had had success at every level of the minors, and was Baseball America's #3 overall rated prospect. He was doing pretty well at Memphis in 2014 (.872 OPS), but he needed more time there--the Cardinals probably rushed him a bit given his potential and the fact they thought he could help them in a pennant race. Judging him based on his first 248 MLB PAs at the age of 22 doesn't make any sense.

I remember Tim McCarver commenting on him.
He was absolutely shocked how bad he was.
Considering he was #3 prospect.
Randal Gritchuk out played him by leaps and bounds.

You’re either trolling, or you see what you want to see.

What did you love about Grichuk’s .278 OBP and why was it meaningfully better than Taveras’ .278 OBP?

Taveras was also coming back from a major injury. Seems too many people either ignore that or were ignorant to it.

It was about the defense at that time.
The guy was a statue out there.
Neither could hit, but at least Gritchuk could play
excellent in the field.
Tavaras was Jordan Walker in 2023

Cause he was returning from ankle surgery.

You come up with more excuses for a guy.
Man alive, year after year.
It's like you can't escape the Taveras bandwagon.
You're like a groupie in heat.
Bow-wow-wow Yippie yo yippie yeh.
Anyways, how do you know he would ever come back
from this ankle injury?
How do you know if he'd be any better than what he
showed.
It's all conjecture.
You think he'd become a superstar.
I say, no I saw someone with mediocre talent.
His talent may have been compromised.
I do not know.
But he was negative 1.4 WAR while he played
and looked out of his league.
Don't ask me, take it from TIm McCarver.

[sdaltons]

Haven't been paying much attention lately but see bully is still regularly reminding us that he's a doofus

[An Old Friend]

And don't tell me he just needed more time.
The scouts seemingly are wrong a lot on our side.
Jordan Walker face of baseball and all that.
Yuck.
I watched him.
He was either a 1st baseman
or nothing else.
Maybe LF. Maybe.
Slow as molasses.

He was just 22 years old, had had success at every level of the minors, and was Baseball America's #3 overall rated prospect. He was doing pretty well at Memphis in 2014 (.872 OPS), but he needed more time there--the Cardinals probably rushed him a bit given his potential and the fact they thought he could help them in a pennant race. Judging him based on his first 248 MLB PAs at the age of 22 doesn't make any sense.

I remember Tim McCarver commenting on him.
He was absolutely shocked how bad he was.
Considering he was #3 prospect.
Randal Gritchuk out played him by leaps and bounds.

You’re either trolling, or you see what you want to see.

What did you love about Grichuk’s .278 OBP and why was it meaningfully better than Taveras’ .278 OBP?

Taveras was also coming back from a major injury. Seems too many people either ignore that or were ignorant to it.

It was about the defense at that time.
The guy was a statue out there.
Neither could hit, but at least Gritchuk could play
excellent in the field.
Tavaras was Jordan Walker in 2023

Cause he was returning from ankle surgery.

You come up with more excuses for a guy.

Injury was real.

Anyways, how do you know he would ever come back
from this ankle injury?

Cause he was a 22 year old professional athlete with professional trainers whose job it is to help guys get back to peak performance.

How do you know if he'd be any better than what he
showed.

Common sense that a healthy offseason and spring training would have done him well.

It's all conjecture.
You think he'd become a superstar.
I say, no I saw someone with mediocre talent.

So all of baseball was wrong and you alone knew it. Got it.

His talent may have been compromised.
I do not know.

Yeah, you don't seem to know much.

But he was negative 1.4 WAR while he played
and looked out of his league.
Don't ask me, take it from TIm McCarver.

McCarver is dead.

[Bully4you]

And don't tell me he just needed more time.
The scouts seemingly are wrong a lot on our side.
Jordan Walker face of baseball and all that.
Yuck.
I watched him.
He was either a 1st baseman
or nothing else.
Maybe LF. Maybe.
Slow as molasses.

He was just 22 years old, had had success at every level of the minors, and was Baseball America's #3 overall rated prospect. He was doing pretty well at Memphis in 2014 (.872 OPS), but he needed more time there--the Cardinals probably rushed him a bit given his potential and the fact they thought he could help them in a pennant race. Judging him based on his first 248 MLB PAs at the age of 22 doesn't make any sense.

I remember Tim McCarver commenting on him.
He was absolutely shocked how bad he was.
Considering he was #3 prospect.
Randal Gritchuk out played him by leaps and bounds.

You’re either trolling, or you see what you want to see.

What did you love about Grichuk’s .278 OBP and why was it meaningfully better than Taveras’ .278 OBP?

Taveras was also coming back from a major injury. Seems too many people either ignore that or were ignorant to it.

It was about the defense at that time.
The guy was a statue out there.
Neither could hit, but at least Gritchuk could play
excellent in the field.
Tavaras was Jordan Walker in 2023

Cause he was returning from ankle surgery.

You come up with more excuses for a guy.

Injury was real.

Anyways, how do you know he would ever come back
from this ankle injury?

Cause he was a 22 year old professional athlete with professional trainers whose job it is to help guys get back to peak performance.

How do you know if he'd be any better than what he
showed.

Common sense that a healthy offseason and spring training would have done him well.

It's all conjecture.
You think he'd become a superstar.
I say, no I saw someone with mediocre talent.

So all of baseball was wrong and you alone knew it. Got it.

His talent may have been compromised.
I do not know.

Yeah, you don't seem to know much.

But he was negative 1.4 WAR while he played
and looked out of his league.
Don't ask me, take it from TIm McCarver.

McCarver is dead.

Nothing changes the fact that he was a dud.
He absolutely sucked.
A lot of our high drafted people suck.
Dylan Carlson, who you thought would be great too.
New Flash, he sucks too.
Colby Rasmus
Nolan Gorman
Jordan Walker
All of baseball were singing these kids praises too.
But reality set in, and they all sucked.
So, you continue to live in fantasy land.
Okay, whatever.
Maybe he would have been the next Hank Aaron.
Or maybe he would have been the same negative WAR
player too.
Who knows.
You don't.
Neither do I.

[An Old Friend]

Haven't been paying much attention lately but see bully is still regularly reminding us that he's a doofus

Yep

[Baseball Savant]

His swing was too long for MLB. He was exposed

Seemed way overhyped in retrospect

[sdaltons]

His swing was too long for MLB. He was exposed

Seemed way overhyped in retrospect

Yes because it is a well known fact that 22 year olds can't possibly make adjustments

[Goldfan]

His swing was too long for MLB. He was exposed

Seemed way overhyped in retrospect

What we know…..not some AOF fantasy

Lazy and didn’t work on defense
Liked to party and drink
Best buds with CMart
Called up and was getting handled by ML pitching
And had this debate with AOF numerous times……he was benched, didn’t play much because they were ATTEMPTING TO SHORTEN HIS LLLOOONNNG SWING….perhaps he would’ve turned into a LH Pujols…..doubtful

[Ronnie Dobbs]

I was there for his first ever home run and last home run in the playoffs. Sad what could have been. Seen too many young people kill themselves and others this way. A shame and it always makes me nervous around graduation season.

[JDW]

My best memory of him was how excited he was for Grichuk in the dugout after what I think might have been Grichuk's first MLB HR.
Looked very genuine.