Pirates Promote Exciting Pitching Prospect Duo

Navarro has done well at Bradenton, with a 5-2 record in 14 starts and 21 appearances, a 2.60 ERA over 69.1 innings pitched, 117 strikeouts to 60 walks, a .157 batting average allowed and a 1.40 WHIP.

His 117 strikeouts lead the Florida State League and rank second in the Pirates minor leagues to only star pitching prospect Seth Hernandez.

The major area of concern for Navarro is his walk rate, 31.1%, which is incredibly high and something that can hinder him in the future.

Navarro does have a 38.6% strikeout rate, which is also one of the best in the minor leagues, so there's a balancing act between his strikeouts and walks.

He has also taken on different roles this season, working in shorter outings and also going a bit longer as well.

The last start for him was one of his best, as Navarro threw five scoreless innings vs. Lakeland (Detroit Tigers), with just one hit allowed and six strikeouts on Aug. 15.

Navarro has also posted two other starts of five scoreless innings and another of four innings, but has 12 outings that were three innings or less.

He likely trends towards the bullpen in the future, but he has shown that he can handle longer outings too.

Navarro will look to develop his arsenal, particularly his changeup and improve on his slider, while also working on his command, as he adjusts to better hitting in High-A.

The Pirates signed Navarro for $270,000 in the 2024 International Signing Period out of the Dominican Republic and he is already the best left-handed pitcher in their farm system before 20 years old, showing a promising future for him.

Sterling Showing Great Improvement in 2026

It wasn't the greatest 2025 for Sterling, but he has displayed great improvements in 2026 and shown that he can be a starting pitcher for the Pirates in the future.

He posted a 4-6 record in 21 starts with Bradenton, posting a 4.36 ERA over 96.0 innings pitched, with 112 strikeouts to 39 walks, a .215 BAA and a 1.19 WHIP.

Sterling is like Navarro, in that he's been one of the best pitchers in the FSL, second to him in strikeouts and leading the league in innings pitched.

His arsenal is more expansive than Navarro, while still relying on his four-seam fastball, that he's averaging around 92-93 mph, but using his slider, curveball and changeup as well.

The Pirates took Sterling with the 37th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Notre Dame High School, located in Los Angeles, and he's showing the growth the front office wants to see out of him.

Sterling, like Navarro, had a great start in his last outing, posting a career-high 11 strikeouts over six innings against Lakeland, with nine of his 11 strikeouts coming on his slider and curveball.

Taking good momentum into a promotion is never a bad thing and Sterling will get a chance to prove himself against much better hitting at Greensboro.