Phillies grab Navy man Noah Song from Red Sox in Rule 5 draft
The Phillies have taken a chance on a pitcher whose military duties may delay his baseball career.
SAN DIEGO — After a busy 48 hours at baseball’s winter meetings in San Diego, in which the Phillies signed deals with three free-agents, they kept their momentum going in the Rule 5 draft on Wednesday, selecting right-hander Noah Song from the Red Sox in the major league phase, and seven players in the minor league phase.
Song, 25, was an interesting choice. Because he attended the U.S. Naval Academy — graduating in 2019 — he is required to serve five years in the Navy. Song petitioned the Navy in 2019 to get a waiver to delay his active service until after his baseball career, which was unresolved. He petitioned for another waiver in 2022, but according to the Boston Globe, that petition also remains unresolved.
Because of Song’s ongoing military service, he has been placed on the military list. Until he is activated off that list, he will not be added to the Phillies’ 40-man roster. Once he is activated, he’ll be subject to Rule 5 stipulations, meaning that the Phillies will have to carry him on the big league roster for an entire year.
The worst case scenario for the Phillies is that Song’s petition is denied, prohibiting him from resuming his baseball career until his age-29 season. It’s possible he never pitches for the Phillies.
Song, who was picked by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, saw his draft stock drop because of concerns about his Navy involvement. Before completing flight school, he pitched for the Red Sox’s low-A affiliate, the Lowell Spinners, in 2019. He compiled a 1.06 ERA with 19 strikeouts over seven starts and 17 innings with Lowell.
During his four-year collegiate career with the Naval Academy, he posted a 2.37 ERA in 58 games, with 428 strikeouts in 334⅓ innings. He pitched 14 complete games, nine of them shutouts. He throws in the 96-99 mph range with a plus slider. He throws a fastball, a slide, changeup and a curveball.
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After picking Song, the Phillies were active in the minor league portion, selecting a player in each of the seven rounds. They started by selecting shortstop Pedro Martinez from the Tampa Bay Rays, assigning him to the triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. From there, they picked right-handed pitchers Yoniel Ramirez (Giants), Zach Linginfelter (Angels), and Trey Cobb (Mets); shortstop Cameron Cannon (Red Sox); catcher Cody Roberts (Orioles); and utilityman Oliver Dunn (Yankees).
The Phillies protected 31 players in the minor league Rule 5 draft but lost five minor league players to other teams: right-handed pitcher Kyle Glogoski to the Reds, shortstop Shervyn Newton to the Royals, right-handed pitcher Carlo Reyes to the Dodgers, outfielder Jefferson Encarnacion to the Cubs, and right-handed pitcher Manuel Urias to the Astros. They lost no players in the major league Rule 5 draft.