Oscar Taveras St. Louis Cardinals Player Dies In Car Accident In Domincian Republic- Tragic Accident Claims Lives Of 22-Year-Old Athlete & !8-Year-Old Girlfriend

It's a sad day for St. Louis Cardinal fans, as Oscar Taveras, who joined the team earlier this year, has passed away following a car accident earlier today. The 22-year-old baseball star was driving in the Dominican Republic where he got into an automobile crash that took his life as well as that of his 18-year-old girlfriend's, who was also a passenger in the car.

According to USA Today, the outfielder was driving in his native country where he was heading to his hometown of Sosua. Lieutenant Junior Lopez Reyes with the Puerto Plata police said that rainfall and wet roads could have been a factor in the crash.

"We're still investigating at the scene," the Puerto Plata police explained in a statement. "We've had some heavy rainfall here lately. It might have contributed to the accident."

The loss is being felt throughout the whole baseball community as Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. expressed his sadness in a statement.

"We are all stunned and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of the youngest members of the Cardinals family," DeWitt Jr. said. "Oscar was an amazing talent with a bright future who was taken from us well before his time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends tonight."

 Taveras had a promising career ahead of him, having just debuted this past season with the Major League Baseball team and batted .239 in 80 games.

Our thoughts go out to Taveras and his girlfriend's families during this difficult time.