Noah Song, Naval Academy. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
An up-and-coming Boston hurler is taking to the skies with the U.S. Navy.
Noah Song entered professional baseball knowing he was being pulled in two directions; such is life for a talented righty with a four-pitch arsenal that also happens to be a commissioned flight officer as a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Now, the 2019 Boston Red Sox fourth-round pick’s ambiguous immediate future has just gotten a whole lot clearer.
As first reporter by the Capital Gazette’s Bill Wagner, the Navy has informed Song that his deal with Uncle Sam demands the completion of flight school and six years of service.
The U.S. Navy has informed top Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Noah Song that he must report for flight school in Florida, putting his baseball career on hold
This means that Song, the No. 6 overall prospect in the Red Sox organization according to MLB Pipeline, won’t be sniffing Boston any time soon; Wagner notes that flight school will delay his rise through the minor league ranks by at least a year. But as far as reasons for putting your baseball career on hold go, this particular reason is one of the coolest imaginable.
“No, sorry, I can’t throw a bullpen session today. I’ll be IN THE SKY.”
Song had previously applied for a waiver with the government to transfer to the Naval Reserve in order to begin his pro baseball career uninterrupted. That request was not granted, and he’ll now make his new home at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in the Florida panhandle.
After an All-American run at the Naval Academy, Song appeared in seven games for Class-A Lowell in 2019, allowing just two earned runs in 17 innings and striking out 19 batters. His fastball, currently considered his best pitch, can touch 99 on the gun.
It’s unclear just how long the Navy will be a full-time commitment for Noah Song, but even if he never actually becomes a Red Sox pitcher, the reason will be a pretty spectacular one.