Korean reliever Seung-Hwan Oh, nicknamed “The Final Boss” in Asia, agreed to a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals back on January 11. In the weeks since, Oh and his representatives have been trying to secure a work visa for the 33-year-old right-hander that will allow him to report on time to Cardinals spring training in Jupiter, Florida.
But it hasn’t come together yet ...
Oh Seung Hwan's work visa hasnt been issued yet. He is still waiting for his interview date w/ @USEmbassySeoul #STLCards
— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) February 1, 2016
Oh needs to interview with @USEmbassySeoul and then will need to wait 3,4 days to get the visa. Until then, he cant leave Korea. #STLCards
— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) February 1, 2016
Oh wants to leave 4 Jupiter asap. Lunar new yr is next week. Whole country shuts down for a week. Will @USEmbassySeoul help Oh? #STLCards
— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) February 1, 2016
Those tweets come from Daniel Kim, a former MLB scout who now covers both Major League Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization. Kim notes humorously that the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, is a huge Reds fan. Conspiracy!
Brian Stull of STL Baseball Weekly was told by a Cardinals official on Tuesday that the team is anticipating Oh arriving on time later this month at Roger Dean Stadium. But if the visa issue isn’t resolved soon, Oh could very well be a week or two late. That wouldn’t be a problem for most relievers, who take very little spring work to get properly tuned up for the regular season, but Oh spent the last 11 years pitching in either Korea or Japan. He would probably like to get familiar with MLB hitters and the MLB scene in general.
Oh saved 357 games in Asia while posting a 1.81 ERA and 772 strikeouts in 646 innings. He is expected to work as a setup man to Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal.
