Giants Offseason News: Angel Villalona Receives Approval For Work Visa, Expected At Spring Training

Read More: Angel Villalona (1B - SFG), San Francisco Giants

There are a multitude of questions surrounding one-time top San Francisco Giants prospect Angel Villalona, but for now at least one of them has been cleared up.

According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, reports that the U.S. Immigration Service has approved Villalona's application for a work visa and the first baseman is expected at spring training in Arizona on Feb. 23.

Five years ago, the Giants signed a 16-year-old Dominican Republic native to a contract that included a $2.1 million signing bonus, which set a new record for the Giants in signing an international free agent. There were a couple years when Villalona was pegged as the top prospect in the organization. That all changed in 2009, when Villalona was charged with murder in his home country. The charges have since been dropped and Villalona has returned to the Giants organization.

Now, Villalona is set to return to the U.S. for the first time since September, 2009.

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