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Cardinals manager on Oscar Taveras: 'I think he can be a star'

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

St. Louis Cardinals rookie Oscar Taveras did little of note in his inaugural season in the major leagues, but manager Mike Matheny remains confident in the 22-year-old's abilities.

“I think he can be a star,” Matheny told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “And I think he showed things all season long that showed that. He stepped into some big situations, a different role. He was very much into the competition and trying to figure out how he could help us. Yes, he wanted to play. Yes, he wanted to be the guy out there every day. He realizes he has some things to do to help make that happen.”

Taveras, once considered among the game's foremost prospects, had a rocky season with the Cardinals in which he played sparingly and received criticism for his physical conditioning. He'll spend two months at a team facility this winter to improve his fitness and will eventually look to reclaim the starting job that largely eluded him in 2014.

“Frankly, the last two months for Oscar were probably his best two months,” general manager John Mozeliak said. “And, now, I know he didn’t play a lot. But I think he learned a lot. I think he now understands the ownership he needs to take moving forward. The game is pretty simple. You either do or you don’t. When we get to Jupiter (Fla.) next year, we’re going to know what he did and we’ll know if we can count on him or not.”

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