Sometimes there are no Dominican players in the big leagues that have big weeks, so I have to go down and find a minor leaguer for the Dominican player of the week award. And that was the case this week. No Dominican major league player had a stand out week, and the Dominican Baseball Guy saw Oscar Taveras play live and have a huge game. So, the Dominican player of the week is Oscar Taveras. Amazingly, this is the second time he has won the Dominican player of the week award, after a he won based on strong performance in the Futures All-Star game earlier this year.
Taveras is in the Cardinals organization and is currently playing with the Springfield Cardinals in the AA Texas League. He is destroying the Texas League, leading the league in average and hits, and in the top five in home runs, RBI, doubles, triples, and slugging percentage. No, those are not typos, he is just that good.
I was able to see him play against the Corpus Christi Hooks on Monday, and he looked like an MLB player. He went 2-5 and had a game clinching two run home run in the top of the ninth. And he looked great in center field. I know this is the era of 'money ball' and statistics rule all, but Taveras definitely 'looks' like an MLB player.
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak had some strong words about him earlier this year. "I don't like to call anyone untouchable," said Mozeliak, "but if there's a player we value in that kind of category, it's Oscar Taveras." It was planned that Taveras would join the big league Cardinals in late 2013, but with his great performance this season there have been internal discussions within Cardinals management to move him up this season.
He is from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. No word on whether or not he is related to former big league Dominican player Willy Taveras.
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