Cardinals name Oscar Taveras player of year, Seth Maness pitcher of year

The St. Louis Cardinals named outfielder Oscar Taveras the organization's Minor League Player of the Year and right-hander Seth Maness Pitcher of the Year on Friday.

The 20-year-old Taveras is considered one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball, and finished the 2012 season ranked as the third best prospect in the Cardinals' system, according to Baseball America. As a member of the Double-A Springfield Cardinals, Taveras hit .321 with 23 home runs and 94 RBI. He led the Texas league in batting and finished second in RBI and fourth in home runs.

Maness, an 11th-round pick in the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft, started the 2012 campaign at Single-A Palm Beach before being called up to Springfield. In 20 starts at Double-A, the 24-year-old Maness posted an impressive 11-3 record, 3.27 ERA and 1.050 WHIP while helping the club win its first Texas League title since rejoining the league in 2005.

The Springfield Cardinals were also named Minor League Team of the Year by Baseball America.