So it appears our closer of the past two years, Seung-hwan Oh, is cleared of allegedly gambling overseas. He will pay a fine and move on. I suppose this means he is eligible to play in Korea, Japan or overseas in 2016.
To which I say, “Good for him. Just stay out of our backyard!” I, for one, do not want him back on the Hanshin Tigers. This has nothing to do with the allegations laid against him, though. If his name has been cleared and if he has learned his lesson, that’s great. I have no problems with giving people a second chance. In fact, I hope he finds success as a baseball player somewhere.
My beef has always been with his regression and the strong possibility that those numbers continue to trend south (hits up 50%, K’s down 31%) as Father Time does his work on Oh’s body and mechanics. At age 33, it is hard to believe he can redefine himself or reinvent his arsenal. Is he worth the money he will command? Bringing him back at his 2015 salary would make him the second-highest paid player on the team (behind only Takashi Toritani), and justifying that salary would require him to return to 2014 form.
I’d like to see it but would err on the side of caution. Here’s to hoping newly-signed Marcos Mateo can pick up where the disgraced absolved Korean left off.
Is it definite that Kyuji won’t be closing?
He’s penciled in as a starter but he’s gone on record that he’ll help the team in whatever capacity he’s asked.
Good for him. Good luck in the future.