Military service academy alumni in MLB

May 23rd, 2024

What many may not know about rookie phenom is that, prior to attending Louisiana State University, from which he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Pirates in 2023, he was throwing 100 mph fastballs for the Air Force Academy.

The United States military service academies are extremely rigorous programs that train men and women to become officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines. Increasingly, they have also been producing professional baseball players, including a few who have reached the Majors.

Here¡¯s a look at graduates of the three academies with NCAA Division I baseball programs -- West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy -- who have reached MLB, as well as non-graduates like Skenes who attended one of the academies before reaching the big leagues.

The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York

, OF
Hurtubise graduated from West Point and was signed by the Reds in 2020. Thanks to a government policy that was enacted just six months before his graduation, he was allowed to defer his military service obligation until after the end of his playing career. He had been drafted by the Mariners in the 39th round the prior year, but did not sign.

Hurtubise¡¯s calling card is speed -- he led NCAA Division I with 42 steals as a sophomore at West Point in 2018. He made his MLB debut as a pinch-runner against the D-backs on May 13, 2024. Five days later, he picked up his first Major League hit against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

, RHP
Signed by Toronto as an undrafted free agent in 2013, Rowley reached the big leagues four years later -- his application to waive his service requirement was granted after he had served two years in the Army, and after returning to baseball, he rapidly worked his way to the Majors. He appeared in six games for the Blue Jays in ¡¯17, including three starts, posting a 6.75 ERA.

Rowley would only make two more MLB appearances in his career -- he was picked up off waivers by the Rangers in ¡¯18, and later signed Minor League deals with the Padres and Twins, though he never made any Major League appearances for San Diego or Minnesota.

Played at West Point but did not graduate: Walt French, RF, Philadelphia A¡¯s (1923, 1925-29)

The United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland

, RHP
Drake had a six-year MLB career after being drafted by the Orioles out of the Naval Academy in the 43rd round of the 2008 Draft. Since he had gone to the Naval Academy prep school and became Draft-eligible after his sophomore season, he did not have a service requirement. He made his big league debut for Baltimore in 2015, and later had stints with the Brewers, Cleveland, Angels, Blue Jays, Twins and Rays. Overall, he finished with a 4.27 ERA over 196 relief appearances.

, RHP
Harris was another standout pitcher at the Naval Academy and a teammate of Drake¡¯s in Annapolis. Selected by the Braves in the 24th round of the 2007 Draft, Harris didn¡¯t sign with Atlanta, but he was drafted again the following year by the Cardinals in the 13th round. He signed with the understanding that he would complete his five years of required service time before beginning a pro baseball career.

Harris served in the Persian Gulf, the Caribbean Sea and Moscow before returning stateside to resume playing baseball. He appeared in a Spring Training game with the Cardinals in 2014, but he didn¡¯t appear to have the velocity or effectiveness he showed at age 22. Still, Harris was very impressive with Low-A State College and got another shot with the Cardinals.

Within a year, Harris made his MLB debut for St. Louis. Overall, he posted a 3.67 ERA in 26 relief appearances in 2015. Unfortunately, that would be Harris¡¯ only Major League season -- a right elbow injury necessitated surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament, and he never made it back to the big leagues.

Nemo Gaines, LHP
Gaines received special leave upon graduating from the Naval Academy in 1921, so he could pitch for the Washington Senators. He became the first graduate of the Naval Academy to appear in a Major League game later that year, on June 26. He appeared in three more games out of the bullpen that season, pitching 4 2/3 scoreless innings overall. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out one.

There would not be another Naval Academy grad in the Majors until Harris and Drake made their big league debuts within a month of each other 94 years later.

A Naval Academy grad who could make his MLB debut soon: , RHP
The Red Sox selected Song out of the Naval Academy in the fourth round of the 2019 Draft. He was excellent over his first seven pro appearances, posting a 1.06 ERA over 17 innings for Low-A Lowell. But his application to waive his service time requirement was not granted, so he went into active duty.

In 2022, the Phillies selected Song from Boston in the Rule 5 Draft. But when Philadelphia needed roster spots as it made a postseason push in ¡¯23, Song was designated for assignment and put through waivers. Since he wasn¡¯t claimed, the Phillies were required to send him back to the Red Sox.

Once seen as a potential top-of-the-rotation starter, Song still has a fastball that sits 92-93 mph and can touch 96. He could be the next Naval Academy grad to reach the big leagues.

The United States Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado

, RHP
Jax became the first graduate of the Air Force Academy to appear in a Major League game when he pitched in relief for the Twins against the Yankees on June 8, 2021. The right-hander made 14 starts that year along with three other relief appearances for Minnesota, finishing with a 6.37 ERA. He improved dramatically in the years following, posting a 3.49 ERA from 2022 to mid-2024.

Attended Air Force Academy but did not graduate

, RHP
Skenes chose the Air Force Academy because of his strong desire to serve his country, and over his first two years there, it became quite clear that he¡¯d have a decision to make. He dominated opposing hitters in the Mountain West Conference and decided to transfer to LSU for his junior season in 2023, so that he could be eligible for the MLB Draft without having a five-year military service time requirement.

Skenes took it to another level with LSU, posting a 1.69 ERA and striking out a whopping 45% of the batters he faced. The Pirates drafted him first overall in the 2023 Draft, and within less than a year, he made his MLB debut at PNC Park.

, OF
Reks played at Air Force as a 19-year-old in 2013 before transferring to the University of Kentucky. The Dodgers drafted him from Kentucky as a 10th-round pick in '17. He made his MLB debut for the Dodgers in '21, going 0-for-10 in six games. He was dealt to the Rangers and appeared in 16 games for Texas in '22, going 9-for-34 (.265) with a double.

The Rangers released Reks in July of '22, and he continued his pro career with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization. He then signed a Minor League deal with the Padres in February of '24.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com