Pirates make 'easy' pick by taking RHP Levi Sterling of Notre Dame HS at No. 37 overall
When the Pittsburgh Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Levi Sterling in the MLB Draft, they made it sound as if it was as easy as his delivery.
The Pirates picked Sterling, of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., with their second pick in the MLB Draft, No. 37 overall in the Competitive Balance A round. He was ranked the No. 51 prospect in the draft by MLB.com.
The 6-foot-5, 202-pounder offers a four-pitch mix that features a fastball that touches 94 mph, a curveball and sweeper in the 80s and a changeup, Pirates amateur scouting director Justin Horowitz said.
“Does things really easy,” Horowitz said of Sterling. “Very projectable in the sense physically but also with his stuff; he’s got an effective fastball. He already has some present velocity that we think is going to get even better as he continues to add strength. He’s got a nasty changeup. Gets a ton of whiffs with that pitch and a developing breaking ball, too.”
A Texas recruit, Sterling comes from the same program that produced Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene and New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Horowitz said the Pirates were “super excited” to land Sterling where they did because of his character traits.
“Another kid, to be honest, that we’re all really excited about off the field as well,” Horowitz said. “Another leader, a hard worker and a smart kid who’s really committed to getting better every day.”
Pirates first-round pick Konnor Griffin played with Sterling for Team USA in the Under-18 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan, where they spent some time as roommates on the trip. Like Griffin, Sterling was a two-way star who also played shortstop in high school.
“I don’t know what the Pirates are planning to do with him, but he’s great on the mound, can play the infield and can hit, so you can do a lot with a player like that,” Griffin said of Sterling. “It’s great to see him get in the organization. The Pirates took two high school guys. That kind of shows you they’re on the road to success in the big leagues right now. They’re gonna stack up in their farm system and be good for a long time.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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