The Red Sox will be without one of their best pitching prospects for at least year, but for good reason — he has been summoned to Navy flight school.
Right-hander Noah Song, a fourth-round pick in last year's draft out of the Naval Academy, had already withdrawn a waiver request that would've allowed him to transfer to the Naval reserve and start his professional career without interruption.
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Instead, according to the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, he must complete helicopter flight school and then begin a six-year service commitment. However, he can apply for a waiver next May asking to delay his service to resume his baseball career.
From a Red Sox perspective, he appears to be worth the wait. Song posted a 1.06 ERA in his pro debut at short-season Lowell before opening eyes as the best pitcher on Team USA at an Olympic qualifying tournament, where the 6-4, 200-pounder worked quickly and touched 100 mph.
He had hoped to benefit from a new Department of Defense rule allowing athletes to jump right from the service academies to professional sports, but the rule went into effect after he graduated and didn't apply to him.
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"The original waiver, which requested the ability to continue my service by transferring my commission to the Navy Reserves and concurrently pursuing a professional baseball career with the Red Sox organization, gave me the best chance to make it to the major leagues," Song said in a statement, per the Capital Gazette. "However, I understand transferring immediately into the reserves is unlikely because the law and policy in my case do not permit it."
He is allowed to apply for early release after two years of service, however, which in his case will be next May 24. With the pandemic raging and the future of the minor leagues in doubt, Song may not end up missing much development time this season anyway.
In the statement to the Capital Gazette, Song made his motivations clear.
"If I were somehow allowed to transfer into the reserves, I would have every intention of serving on active duty after my time with baseball ends," Song wrote. "I place an incredible amount of personal value in serving my country and doing so in a meaningful way.
"I am fortunate to have two 'Plan As' in life: I want to serve my country as a naval aviator and play baseball for the Red Sox. I will continue to do all I can to accomplish both, and I sincerely appreciate the support I have received from the Navy and the Red Sox in reaching those goals."