Felix Sterling – Right-handed Pitcher
Born: 03/15/1993 – Height: 6’3” – Weight: 200 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right
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| (Photo: Felix Sterling) |
Strengths: Sterling is a big, strong, physically imposing pitcher whose fastball already sits at 90-94 MPH and flashes two good secondary pitches in a slurvy breaking ball and changeup. As with any young pitcher he is working on improving his command and control, but has shown a good feel for pitching and has the arsenal to remain a starting pitcher as he moves up the minor league ladder. Like most Latin kids he came into the organization as a thrower rather than a pitcher, but unlike most Latin pitchers he had some secondary pitches in place. He seemingly got better and stronger as the season wore on last year, and showed surprisingly good command in his pro debut with an ability to miss bats. With his size and pitches he has the chance to be a middle-of-the-rotation workhorse down the road.
Opportunities: Sterling is still working on the command and consistency of all of his pitches. He is also learning how to effectively use his secondary pitches as he often misses big with them, something he can get away with in the lower levels of the minors but won't as he moves up. Due to his size he lumbers around the field a little bit, so will need to develop a stronger awareness to situations in order to combat some of his deficiencies with fielding his position.
Outlook: While Sterling is very rough around the edges and will certainly be a project for the Indians the next few years, he performed well at a very young age in the Arizona Summer League and showed a ton of raw ability. He really made a lot of strides during his time out in Arizona and opened up a ton of eyes inside and outside of the organization, and is definitely a guy to keep an eye on going forward as he has big time helium potential as a prospect. Even though he will turn 18 years old in March, he will likely open the season in the starting rotation at Low-A Lake County, a sure sign as to the kind of potential and ability the organization thinks he has.
| Year | Age | Team | Lvl | W | L | ERA | G | GS | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | AVG | BB/9 | K/9 | WHIP |
| 2010 | 17 | AZL Indians | R | 2 | 3 | 3.16 | 12 | 11 | 51.1 | 40 | 18 | 2 | 20 | 57 | .222 | 3.5 | 10.0 | 1.17 |
| MiLB Totals | 2 | 3 | 3.16 | 12 | 11 | 51.1 | 40 | 18 | 2 | 20 | 57 | .222 | 3.5 | 10.0 | 1.17 |
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5 comments:
High ranking for a pitcher so far from majors and only "mid-rotation workhorse" potential.
Kid is still only 17 years old. Potential plus. Love the size, and already reaching comfortably into the 90's at 17 is a great sign. As his mechanics get refined and he continues to physically anmd mentally develop and mature, no limts really can be placed on potential ceiling. Less than 1% ever come in over 90 at 16 years old, like he has ...so you can concievably see this kid exceeding mid 90's by early 20's.
Anxious to hear updates on any and all aspects of this kid from Tony or anyone else this spring.
Love how he has a strong base from the waste down ... love to see that type proportioning in a pitcher.
One more comment ...my biggesty worry was whether he was a legit age of 17. You look at his face, and he really looks to be accurately aged ...which is huge. Probably I'm getting too excited right now given his early development and age, but, it's really hard to contain excitement when you see something unique, like this kid is, come into the system.
danh8.....the MLB Latin American signings aren't the wild west anymore. They've hired an outside firm, with government access, to investigate each and every player. In majority cases, there won't be any age worries anymore.
I think the ranking is fine for Sterling for now. In all honesty, I initially had him in the low 40s to start and then after doing the research and finalizing the prospect rankings, he kept moving up every time. He's a legit starting pitching candidate, which immediately puts him above almost any bullpen pitcher. With his youth and stuff, it vaults him above most starting pitching prospects too. As with any young kid, there is the potential for a lot of volatility, but I think the projection of him as a middle of the rotation starter is a good common ground outlook. He obviously has the stuff and size to be more of a front end starter, but again, with the volatility of youth, he could always end up a back of the rotation guy, a reliever, or just wash out. Will be interesting to see his progress this year, especially if he really does open the year at Lake County at 18 years old (he may instead go to MV).
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