Tommy Milone will not join the 2008 Chatham A's; instead the lefthander will enter the ranks of professional baseball. A 10th round draft choice of the Washington Nationals, the Saugus, CA native signed on Saturday, but contract details were not released. Milone will skip the summer with Chatham and his senior season at USC and will join the Nationals' Single-A affiliate in Vermont.

Milone was 6-6 with the Trojans in 2008 as the ace of the staff, sporting an ERA under 4. With the A's in the summer of 2007, Milone received CCBL Pitcher of the Year honors, going 6-1, the best win percentage in the league. He committed to Chatham for the 2008 season as a junior, but chose to take the opportunity of entering pro ball instead.