On Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox nabbed Navy pitcher Noah Song at the end of the fourth round of the Major League Baseball draft.
And as the 137th amateur player selected, Song, 22, became the loftiest first-year pick in the school’s history.
Navy baseball stats show that the previous highest picks were 10th round selections — Stephen Moore, a right-handed hurler who went to the Atlanta Braves in 2015, and Alex Azor, an outfielder landed by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds, Song is a gifted right-handed starter from Claremont, California, who was named a 2019 Third Team Preseason All-American by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
As a senior, Song went 11-1 and notched a measly 1.44 ERA across 94 innings, a campaign that made him one of four finalists for the Golden Spikes Award for the nation’s best amateur player, MLB reported.
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Lauding his consistent 96 mph fastball, MLB draft analysts pegged the Patriot League ace as the 68th best prospect in the draft, but he toppled on Tuesday because he must first fulfill his service commitment before potentially joining the Red Sox farm system.
Although President Donald J. Trump has mulled letting star athletes at the academies forgo active duty to play ball, the Pentagon’s current policy mandates that they serve an initial two-year tour in uniform before entering the reserves.
MLB estimated Song’s fourth round selection could garner a $406,000 bonus, if the Navy allowed him to join the Sox.
MLB notes that only two Navy grads ever made it to the big leagues.
After serving on board the amphibious transport dock Ponce and the guided-missile frigate Carr, Mitch Harris made his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on April 25, 2015, pitching in relief of injured starter Adam Wainwright.
Graduating from Navy in 1921, southpaw pitcher Willard Roland “Nemo” Gaines compiled exactly one strikeout during a four-game career with the Washington Senators that same summer before reporting to the fleet.
Gaines retired from the Navy as a captain in 1946 and died 33 years later. He’s buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
