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Which St. Louis Cardinals Players are Truly All-Star Game Worthy?

By Patrick Karraker

Jul 13, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; National League catcher Yadier Molina (4) of the St. Louis Cardinals talks with outfielder Matt Holliday (7) of the St. Louis Cardinals during workout day the day before the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 13, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; National League catcher Yadier Molina (4) of the St. Louis Cardinals talks with outfielder Matt Holliday (7) of the St. Louis Cardinals during workout day the day before the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports /
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Seung Hwan Oh St. Louis Cardinals
May 1, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Seung Hwan Oh (26) pitches to a Washington Nationals batter during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. The Nationals won 6-1 and completed the sweep of the Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Seung-Hwan Oh

Worthiness: 8/10, Likelihood: 7/10

While he’s been a bit less dominant lately, Seung-Hwan Oh has arguably been the Cardinals’ best addition during 2016, and he’s making a strong case to earn an All-Star berth as a rookie, even though he still has yet to record a major-league save. Through 38 appearances (39 innings), Oh is second among NL relievers with 51 strikeouts. He also has the sixth-lowest opponent batting average among NL relievers with 30 or more innings innings pitched this year (.169), and he ranks fourth among that group in both WHIP (0.85) and ERA (1.62).

Though there aren’t a bunch of dominant NL closers this year (the Mets’ Jeurys Familia, Miami’s A.J. Ramos, and Pittsburgh’s Mark Melancon are the only three that really fall under the “dominant” category), Oh might fall victim to the infamous “every team must be represented” rule. San Diego’s Fernando Rodney, Philadelphia’s Jeanmar Gomez, and Atlanta’s Arodys Vizcaino all have a chance to be the only representatives for their respective teams, and if a couple of those guys get chosen, that’d probably prevent a non-closer from making the team.

Next: Cardinals' Carson Kelly, Alex Reyes to Appear in All-Star Futures Game

Considering the fact that the NL has had so many dominant non-closers this year—San Francisco’s Cory Gearrin, Milwaukee’s Tyler Thornburg, the Cubs’ Pedro Strop, and the Dodgers’ Joe Blanton are just a few—Oh may need to rely on the viral popularity of his “Final Boss” and “Stone Buddha” nicknames to push him over the top when it comes to making the All-Star team in his first big-league campaign.

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