| |
Physical Description: Tall,
athletic frame with some projection, especially in his upper
body. Looks the part.
Mechanics: Throws
from a high three-quarters arm slot from the first base side.
Does not use a wind-up and utilizes a medium leg kick. Dead zone
extension at around six feet. Short arm action. Arm will drag
behind delivery at times. Some effort in delivery. Is currently
working to repeat it better and find a consistent release point.
Has some deception due to crossfire action.
Fastball: 92-95 mph. Tops out at 97 mph. Command and
control are works in progress. Still working to regain feel for
the pitch and find a consistent release point. Constantly misses
high and arm-side. Will show cut on occasion when he misses
glove-side. Has shown he can reach back for the higher end of
the velocity band when needed. Fringy shape and lacks ideal
fastball traits. Effective in sequence, but not as primary
pitch. Potential average offering.
Slider:
82-85 mph. Pitch with which he is most comfortable right now.
Has solid feel and is able to land it in the strike zone or down
and out when ahead in the count. Will add and subtract velocity
and vary shape. When thrown slower, it tends to look more like a
sweeper with long, horizontal break. At higher velocities, pitch
is shorter with more vertical break. Potential average offering.
Changeup: 85-87 mph. Good arm speed. Will
flash vertical drop, but is still working to regain feel. Rarely
thrown in outings scouted since his return. Potential
below-average offering.
Links
State of the System: Low Minors Pitchers (4.2.20)
Scouting Report Update (8.12.2020)
|
|
Career Notes: Was regarded as
a potential late-first/early-second-round talent if not for his
service requirement as a pending graduate of the Naval Academy.
Red Sox drafted him anyway in the fourth round and signed him to
a well-below-slot bonus. Played for Lowell following his
graduation and being commissioned as an officer while on
temporary assignment duty. Impressed in his debut, looking like
a potential steal if he could gain a waiver from his military
commitment. Returned to the Naval Academy for a month before
pitching in relief for Team USA during the 2019 Premier12
Tournament, where he was considered by some to be the most
impressive pitcher on a much older squad featuring high-minors
and MLB players. Submitted a waiver request to transfer his
service commitment to the Navy Reserve in October 2019, but the
Chief Naval Officer at the Academy did not endorse his request
because Song had graduated during a short window during which
the Department of Defense had ended its program allowing service
academy graduates to delay or alter their service commitments to
pursue careers in professional sports. After months in limbo
(during a period of numerous unrelated leadership changes and
incidents at the Departments of Defense and the Navy), Song
altered his request in April 2020 and requested to begin flight
school, to which he reported in June 2020. Song graduated from
flight school at the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade and
received his wings as a Naval Flight Officer on April 28, 2022,
after which he submitted another service waiver request. Was
selected in the December 2022 Rule 5 Draft by Philadelphia while
his waiver request was pending, during which time he had
reported for training at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville,
and was placed on the military list. Finally received a waiver
to transfer to reserve duty in February 2023 and reported to
camp with Philadelphia. Despite his long layoff, he immediately
began throwing from a mound after reporting and suffered a back
strain shortly thereafter, spending three months on the injured
list before beginning a rehab assignment the last week of June.
Made eight rehab appearances between High-A and Triple-A before
the Phillies, in playoff contention, sent Song back to the Red
Sox on August 4. Finally back with the Red Sox, was assigned to
Greenville and stretched back out as a starter. Had Tommy John
Surgery in April 2024 after suffering an injury in spring
training. Returned in 2025 in a relief role and spent most of
the season in Portland. Received a non-roster invitation to MLB
Spring Training in 2026.
Summation:
Potential up-and-down depth reliever. Ceiling of a low-leverage
reliever. Stuff seems to have plateaued and now has an average
fastball/slider combination. Can be a hard player to evaluate
because of the significant difference between what he is now and
the promise he showed prior to his military service and
subsequent surgery. Outstanding makeup, strong work ethic. Type
of person every organization strives to have.
|
|
