Naval grad Song a Team USA standout

TOKYO -- The WBSC Premier12 ended in disappointment for Team USA, with a walk-off loss to Mexico in Sunday’s bronze medal game and a missed opportunity to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Still, U.S. right-hander and Red Sox prospect Noah Song was one of the tournament’s brightest stars, because of an overpowering fastball that could put him in the Major Leagues within the next two seasons -- if the U.S. Department of Defense permits him to pursue the profession under a recent policy revision.

Song, a 2019 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings over five appearances as Team USA’s top setup man. Scouts in attendance at the Tokyo Dome said the 22-year-old is talented and poised enough to pitch in the Red Sox bullpen in 2020, although the organization likely wants him to continue developing as a starter.

“Besides the dominance of his pitching, it’s what kind of person he is,” U.S. catcher Erik Kratz said. “I can’t even put it into words. What he can do on the baseball field is nothing compared to what he’s giving for this country. It’s something that is so cool to be part of.”

Team USA left-hander Clayton Richard, who is 14 years older than Song, said players in the U.S. clubhouse have looked at Song with a combination of “awe and respect.” As a commissioned Navy officer, Song stood at attention during the national anthem before each U.S. game, at the urging of teammates who said he’d earned the right to do so.

“It means everything in the world, because I see the kind of guys they are, and I see them as role models in certain ways,” Song said of his teammates’ support. “When they give me praise like that, it makes me feel really good, because it validates everything I’m trying to represent -- which is all of our service members overseas that are allowing me to play in a tournament like this instead of having to go serve right away.

“On the military side, sometimes we have holidays, but it might not be in the forefront of people’s minds every baseball game. So if it’s something as simple as standing at attention for the national anthem, just to remind people, that’s something I’m willing to do every time.”

The Navy allowed Song to delay reporting to flight school until next month so that he could pitch for Team USA in Mexico and Japan during the Premier12. Song’s 2019 season began at the Naval Academy, where he went 11-1 while ranking third in Division I in strikeouts (161) and tied for fourth in ERA (1.44) as a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. He signed with the Red Sox as a fourth-round Draft pick and posted a 1.06 ERA over seven starts for Class A Short Season Lowell of the New York-Penn League.

Song likely would have been drafted in the first round, if MLB clubs had been certain he’d be able to pitch professionally on a full-time basis immediately. Service academy graduates typically are expected to serve for five years as an active duty officer. Song said the uncertainty regarding when -- or if -- he’d be able to continue his professional career after this fall sharpened his focus and heightened his appreciation while pitching for Team USA.

"It’s everything,” said Song, the native of Claremont, Calif. “I know there’s a possibility I could have had a short time left in baseball, and so I give it everything I’ve got, every time. There’s nothing holding back anymore -- not that there really ever was, but it’s a lot of focus for everything.

“I treat everything with 100 percent conviction and 100 percent energy. The team deserves that, anyway. I’ve got no problem giving it, whether it’s an off-day working or anything like that.”

Until recently, it seemed likely that Song’s Navy service obligation would keep him from pitching professionally in 2020 -- with the possible exceptions of Olympic qualifying tournaments in March and April and the Tokyo Games themselves.

But now, Song’s upcoming Florida itinerary could include Spring Training in Fort Myers, in addition to flight school in Pensacola.

Song’s impressive showing at the Premier12 came just as U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper reportedly signed a memo providing service academy graduates with the opportunity to delay active-duty military service and play professional sports.

The Associated Press reported that Song is seeking a waiver to do so, but that the Navy has yet to reach a decision.

According to the AP, Esper’s memo says an athlete can be nominated for a waiver if the “cadet or midshipman’s future professional sports employment will provide the DoD with significant favorable media exposure likely to enhance national level recruiting or public affairs missions.” In Song’s case, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer would supervise the nomination.

In 2017, then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis halted a policy put in place by the Obama administration that enabled some service academy athletes to delay active-duty service. However, President Donald Trump told the Pentagon earlier this year to implement the changes outlined in Esper’s recent memo, the AP reported.

When asked to describe his ideal next couple years -- between Navy service and baseball -- Song smiled and said, “It’s impossible to script. I have absolutely no say or no idea, really, what’s going on there. But whatever happens is something I’m going to be proud to do.”