Sterling Sharp

Sterling Sharp (born May 30, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB).

High school and college

Sharp was originally selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 30th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft out of North Farmington High School. He elected not to sign, instead honoring a commitment to Eastern Michigan University. Three years later, Sharp was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 22nd round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft and elected to sign. At the time he was drafted by the Nationals, Sharp was playing for the Drury University Panthers after transferring from Eastern Michigan. He was only the second player from Drury to be drafted by a Major League Baseball team at the time of his signing.

Washington Nationals

Sharp made his professional debut with the GCL Nationals, and after posting a 3-0 record with a 3.24 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, was promoted to the Auburn Doubledays, where he made one start to end the season. He began 2017 with the Hagerstown Suns and was later promoted to the Potomac Nationals. In 24 total games (22 starts) between both teams, he pitched to a 6-11 record, a 3.97 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 124⅓ combined innings. He was also called upon by the major league club toward the end of the year to pitch to hitters rehabbing from injury or preparing for the 2017 National League Division Series. In 2018, Sharp returned to the Potomac Nationals and was named a Carolina League All-Star. He was promoted to the Class-AA Harrisburg Senators for the first time in June 2018. He also cracked MLB Pipeline's list of top Nationals prospects, being ranked as the organization's fourteenth-best prospect the following month, the Nationals' fastest riser on the list. After the 2018 season, Baseball America ranked Sharp as the Nationals' eighth-best prospect.

In 2019, Sharp battled injury issues, missing almost three months of the regular season with an oblique strain. Making up for lost time, he pitched for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League, earning Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of October 7, 2019.

Miami Marlins

On December 12, 2019, Sharp was selected third overall in the 2019 Rule 5 draft by the Miami Marlins.

Sharp pitches right-handed. In 2017, after studying footage of Blake Treinen, Zach Britton, and others, he developed a sinker that had become his primary pitch by the 2018 season, largely supplanting his low-90s fastball in his arsenal. In addition to his sinker and straight fastball, Sharp also throws an above-average changeup and a slider.

In the media, Sharp has drawn some attention for the similarity of his name to retired National Football League wide receiver Sterling Sharpe.