It doesn't always happen that way. And according to the teammate, Taveras had never really gotten into a formal strength-and-conditioning routine. As a kid, he was just sort of winging it. And Taveras had to learn, the hard way, that success in the majors can require a significant investment of training, video study, and focus.

Taveras was learning all about this, starting to learn it quickly. And teammates began to see him another way, and they came to embrace him. Veteran players are skeptical of hotshot prospects that get the rock-star hype and treatment before they've proven themselves in the majors. So Oscar had to win his teammates over.

All of this — the kind support, the tough love, the nudging from the manager and the GM — was making a difference. And though Taveras had a modest rookie season, you could sense that things would change, and that 2015 would be better … and 2016 would be better than that … and that the young man would become a reliable veteran over time, leading the Cardinals to many more winning seasons and doing his part to uphold the winning tradition.