Blossoming St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend died in a car crash on Sunday in the Dominican Republic.

According to Col. Diego Pesqueira of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, Taveras was driving his 2014 Chevrolet Camaro between Sosua and Cabarete beaches when he lost control of his car, which went off the road.

Pesqueira said that they did not find any document inside the car to figure out the identity of the driver, but Taveras' family identified the body of the St. Louis Cardinals prospect along with his 18-year-old girlfriend, Edilia Arvelo.

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement that they were shocked with the passing of Taveras, who is considered by many as the one of the best prospects in the majors.

"I simply can't believe it," Mozeliak said via ESPN. "I first met Oscar when he was 16 years old and will forever remember him as a wonderful young man who was a gifted athlete with an infectious love for life who lived every day to the fullest."

Taveras, of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, signed with the Cardinals as an international free agent in 2008 and made an impact in the minor leagues, where he batted .321 over six seasons. He was ranked as the third-best prospect before the 2014 MLB season started.

The 22-year-old made his MLB debut this season and averaged .239 with three home runs and 22 RBIs in 80 games. He hit a home run in his first game for the Cardinals and also scored one during the seventh inning of Game 2 of their NL Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants.

"All of us throughout Major League Baseball are in mourning this evening, shocked by the heartbreaking news of the accident involving Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend in the Dominican Republic," MLB commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "Oscar, a young member of the Baseball family, was full of promise and at the dawn of a wonderful career in our game, evident in his game-tying home run against the Giants exactly two weeks ago."

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