Navy won't let sailor pursue pro-baseball career

The Navy is not willing to play ball with Mitch Harris.

Commissioned as an ensign last month and drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals last week, the former Naval Academy pitcher with the 94-mph fastball was hoping to receive a flexible assignment that would allow him to fulfill his five-year service obligation while also playing professional baseball.

Through a spokesman, Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter ruled out that possibility.

“We are a nation at war, and we believe it’s inappropriate to allow Navy and Marine Corps personnel to be released from service obligations to play professional sports at the same time that other sailors and marines are carrying out their service obligations,” Lt. Karen Eifert, a Navy spokesman in Washington, said Thursday.

Eifert, who contacted The Virginian-Pilot on Thursday to make clear Winter’s position, said the Navy would not support any request to be stationed near a particular professional team or to be allowed to travel with that team.

Harris is scheduled to report to the amphibious transport ship Ponce here June 16.

“We are all world-wide deployable,” Eifert said.

Harris did not immediately return a phone call seeking a comment.

His agent, Rick Oliver, was not aware of the Navy’s decision when reached Thursday afternoon.

“It’s a shame all the way around,” Oliver said.

“Because the bottom line is he has an opportunity to be a big league player, and they’re saying, 'We don’t want you to do that.’ ”

Oliver said the Cardinals, who selected Harris in the 13th round, were hoping he could work around his Navy obligation.

Uncertainty over his availability to play caused Harris, considered a third- or fourth-round talent, to plummet in last week’s draft.

Harris had hoped his commanding officer in Norfolk would assign him a duty that would allow him to also play baseball.

But as Eifert said: “The C.O. cannot pre-empt the secretary of the Navy.”

Citing the fact that the nation is at war, Winter suspended all early releases from active duty in November. Before that, an officer could serve 24 months, then apply for early release to pursue “an activity with potential recruiting or public affairs benefit to the Navy and Marine Corps.” Under that policy, former NBA star David Robinson served two years, then joined the San Antonio Spurs.

The 22-year-old Harris contended that as a pitcher, even a two-year layoff probably would end his chances of reaching the big leagues.

“I completely understand the policy, but there’s got to be some kind of way you can do both ,” Harris said before the draft.

Unlike the Navy, the Army has an Alternative Service Option that has allowed West Point graduates to pursue pro sports careers while remaining on active duty. Some Naval Academy officials have contended that it puts Annapolis at a disadvantage during recruiting.