Willy Taveras

Willy Taveras

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 160 lb.

• Debut September 6, 2004
• Final Game May 15, 2010
• Born December 25, 1981 in Tenares, Hermanas Mirabal, D.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Willy Taveras was signed by scout Winston Llenas for the Cleveland Indians in May 1999. He made his pro debut for the DSL Indians that summer. He was taken by the Houston Astros from the Indians in the 2003 Rule V Draft.

He played seven seasons in the majors, first getting a cup of coffee with the Astros at the end of the 2004 season and going 2-for-2 in 10 games. In 2005 and 2006, he was the starting centerfielder for Houston, playing 152 and 149 games and hitting .291 and .278. The batting averages are misleading though, as his lack of walks and power meant that he was a well-below-average hitter, with his OPS+ at 75 and 74 those two years. He was a member of the Astros team that made it to the 2005 World Series, only to be swept by the Chicago White Sox; he hit over .300 in all three rounds of the postseason, but did not drive in a single run in 14 games. He did steal over 30 bases in his first two years as a regular, and repeated the feat in 2007 as a member of the Colorado Rockies after being acquired as part of a big five-player trade. He hit .320 in 97 games in his first season in Colorado, and whole that led to a better OPS+, it was still just at 89. That was the year the Rockies made it to the World Series for the first time in franchise history, as Houston had done two years before, but they were also swept in the Fall Classic, at the hands of the Boston Red Sox. He missed the Division Series, then went 3 for 26 in the next two rounds.

In 2008, his batting average fell to .251 in 133 games, but he led the National League in stolen bases with 68, being caught just 7 times. But it was really the only highlight of a batting line in which he scored just 64 runs, had an OBP of .308, and an anemic slugging percentage of .298. His OPS+ was just 55. He moved to the Cincinnati Reds in 2009 where he had his final season as a regular, hitting .240 in 102 games, with an OPS+ of 48. For all his speed and ability to hit singles, he was simply not a very good ballplayer, and in his final major league season in 2010, he had just 35 at-bats in 27 games for the Washington Nationals, being mainly used as a defensive replacement in the outfield and occasional pinch-runner. Overall, he hit .274 in 670 games, but with just 8 homers and 128 RBIs. He did steal 195 bases.

Taveras was one of the best batters for the Dominican Republic in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, going 2 for 7 with 6 walks to lead the team in OBP. He was thrown out trying to steal in his lone attempt, gunned down by Kenley Jansen at third base in the 9th inning of a 3-2 loss to the Dutch national team. He was later thrown out at home by Concepción Rodríguez in a win over Panama. Surprisingly, Taveras did not score in 3 games despite his numerous times on base and his well-documented speed.

His cousin Leody Taveras is also an outfielder who reached the big leagues in 2020.

Notable Achievements

• 2005 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• NL Stolen Bases Leader (2008)
• NL Singles Leader (2005)
• 50 Stolen Bases Seasons: 1 (2008)