SAN DIEGO — The Washington Nationals chosen Thad Ward, a right-hander out of the Boston Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, with the No. 1 total choose Wednesday in the Rule 5 draft. But essentially the most intriguing choose was the eleventh, which noticed the Philadelphia Phillies snag Noah Song, a once-promising beginning pitcher who has spent the previous three years in lively army service.
Song, 25, was initially a fourth-round draft choose by the Red Sox in 2019, when present Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was in cost. Song had graduated from the US Naval Academy, the place he largely dominated, then went to aviation faculty after solely seven skilled begins.
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 200 kilos, Song was thought-about a first-round expertise popping out of school, however he slipped to the fourth spherical in half due to the uncertainty of his baseball future.
“It was a fastball that was up to 99 and good secondaries, good feel to pitch,” Phillies normal supervisor Sam Fuld stated.
The Phillies do not know if they’re going to have Song subsequent season; They nonetheless have a lot of knowledge to assemble, particularly on the standing of his waiver to defer his service, Fuld stated. In the meantime, the Phillies positioned Song on the army record in order that he wouldn’t depend towards their 40-man roster.
“There’s some uncertainty surrounding the pick, for sure,” Fuld stated. “But we feel like the upside of the player is enough to take a chance.”
The Nos. Picks 2 to 7 in the Rule 5 draft went as follows: Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Ryan Noda to the Oakland Athletics; Dodgers left-hander Jose Hernandez to the Pittsburgh Pirates; Pirates proper fielder Blake Sabol to the Cincinnati Reds; Texas Rangers right-hander Mason Englert to the Detroit Tigers; Cleveland Guardians right-hander Kevin Kelly to the Colorado Rockies; Guardians right-hander Nic Enright to the Miami Marlins.
Ward, who will likely be 26 in January, was the Red Sox’s minor league pitcher of the yr after a dominant season at each Class A ranges, then missed many of the subsequent two years, first due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 after which due to Tommy John surgical procedure in 2021. Ward got here again to make 13 begins in 2022, posting a 2.28 ERA with 66 strikeouts and 19 walks in 51⅓ innings. Ward then pitched 12⅔ innings in the Arizona Fall League, permitting 4 runs.
Rule 5 picks should be saved on the lively roster for the total season. Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo stated the group will stretch Ward out in spring coaching and hope to make use of him as a multi-inning reliever.
“We kind of blended the upside of the pitcher with the certainty of making it easier to carry the player throughout the season,” Rizzo stated of the Nationals’ technique with the primary choose. “We like this player. We think he’s got more left in the tank. He’s a year further removed from Tommy John surgery, he’s got a four-pitch mix, he’s around the plate, he’s got some pitchability and some stuff, and we think there’s a little more left in the tank.”