Noah Song, a 25-year-old pitcher, hasn't thrown competitively since he was in Low-A ball in 2019, yet his story is notable, especially now. Song has been transferred from active duty in the Navy to selective reserves, and will be allowed to play professional baseball while he continues to serve. Reports from Phillies camp indicate that he's expected to join the team Thursday.
Song was a fourth-round pick by the Red Sox back in 2019 out of the Naval Academy and pitched in the minors after signing, but he had his military commitment to fulfill. At the time, Song applied for a waiver in order to forgo his military service in order to pursue his professional baseball career, but he was denied by the Department of Defense.
"I'm pretty excited because I was able to accomplish everything I wanted. I said all along I wanted to serve and I also wanted to pursue my dream of reaching the major leagues," Song told the Capital Gazette. "I think it's a win-win all around."
While serving active military duty, Song remained a part of the Red Sox organization until he was selected by the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft this past December; despite Dave Dombrowski's move, Song was still on schedule to remain with the Navy. Song can now remain on the military list until Opening Day when, as a Rule 5 pick, the Phillies must add him to the active roster. From there, he must remain on the Phillies MLB roster, not sent back to the minors, or else he'd end up on waivers and could land back with the Red Sox.
"I think managing expectations will be pretty important; I have truly taken three years off from pitching competitively," Song told the Gazette. "I don't know what my new ceiling will be, but it will be fun to start working hard and find out."
Back in 2019, Song made seven starts for Class-A Lowell and had a 1.06 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 17 innings. This came the same year that he was 11-1 with a 1.44 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 161 strikeouts in 94 innings his senior season for Navy. His scouting reports at the time indicated a low-to-mid-90s fastball with a wipeout, MLB-ready slider. He was considered a first-round talent who only slipped to the fourth round due to his impending military service.
This is certainly a fun story to watch this spring.