Many of you remember Oscar Taveras, the former Springfield Cardinal who made it to the majors only to die in a tragic car accident in 2014.
These days there’s a new Oscar creating a buzz in the St. Louis minor league system right here in Springfield. And this “Oscar” from Tampa, Florida has suddenly turned the corner after years of struggles.
Not that all minor league players don’t go through hard-times.
Most of the Springfield players are between 21 and 26 years-old, trying to play a game that even Michael Jordan couldn’t master. It certainly has its everyday physical challenges, but it’s even harder between the ears.
“The game is mental,” Springfield’s new manger, Johnny Rodriguez said with a smile. “And mentally, when you start getting inside your head, sometimes you don’t get it back for a while.”
Exhibit A is Oscar Mercado. Drafted in the second round in 2013 at the age of 18 fresh out of high school, he spent the next three years languishing in rookie and Single-A ball hitting in the low 200’s at the plate.
“It was more of mental grind than a physical grind,” Mercado recalls. “Because I just felt like everyday I was going home down on myself.”
But then the Cardinals changed the course of his career by simply switching him from shortstop to centerfield.
“When I was called into that office and they told me I was going to centerfield, I felt like I was starting over,” Mercado said. “Everything in the past was just forget about it, That allowed me to clear my mind and move on with a fresh start.”
“When you play shortstop you’re involved in a lot of stuff,” Rodriguez added. “When you go into the outfield, now you can relax. The biggest thing is to give them the opportunity to succeed. And in this case it worked for Oscar.”
Did it ever! In addition to making startling catches in centerfield, Mercado has batted as high as 357 this season, getting on base in all of their first 23 games and setting a new team record with a 19-game hitting streak. He credits his improvement at the plate to “shortening my swing and working on having a plan every time I step up to the plate.”
Mercado also credits his newfound success to Willie McGee who helped him during spring training and Rodriguez, who provides a steadying influence.
“We really connect,” Rodriguez said. “We both understand each other. He understands what I expect from him and he knows I have his back and that I’m out there teaching him everyday.”
And now at age 22, Mercado is reborn as a major league prospect. No one knows if the good times will last, but Mercado has at least learned some valuable life lessons we all can relate to.
“The only thing that was really keeping me from enjoying what I was doing was myself,” Mercado explained. “So I’ve been blessed with the opportunity at getting more than one chance. My mentality has just been so much different and I’m trying to stay positive at all times.”
