Is Noah Song the future standard-bearer of Boston Red Sox pitchers?
MLB.com’s Ian Browne named the Red Sox prospect as the player in Boston’s farm system who has the best chance of becoming the team’s ace one day. The Red Sox drafted Song in 2019 after he led the NCAA in strikeouts in his senior year at the United States Naval Academy, and he made an impact early in his professional career with some strong performances for the Single-A Lowell Spinners. He’s expected to spend the better part of the next two years performing his military service in the U.S. Navy. Afterward, a career as a star Major League Baseball pitcher might beckon.
“If not for the Navy commitment, the power righty likely would have been a first-round Draft pick last year,” Browne wrote. “Instead, the Sox nabbed him in the fourth round. But Song should be worth waiting for. Song, who is 6-foot-4, has a fastball that tops out at 99 mph. He also has a strong changeup and a curveball that has the potential to be a plus pitch.
“It’s unclear how much time Song will spend with the Red Sox over the next two years as he completes his Navy commitment, but it is clear that he has the best pure stuff of any prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox haven’t developed a true ace since Jon Lester, but Song could be the one to end that drought.”
Baseball America in November ranked Song as Boston’s No. 3 pitching prospect and the organization’s eighth overall prospect. His dominant performances for the United States at the WBSC Premier12 international baseball tournament heightened expectations for what he might achieve in his career.
Chris Sale currently is Boston’s nominal ace, but Tommy John surgery likely will sideline him well into the 2021 season. One of the other current Red Sox pitchers might assume that mantle when MLB resumes play, but most expect Sale to reclaim the title after he returns to action.
