Marlins Rule 5 Draft Results: Starting Pitcher Sterling Sharp

Miami picked up starting pitcher Sterling Sharp in rule 5.

The rule 5 draft commenced at approximately 12:02 PM, just two minutes after they had promised. When the Marlins turn came up, they jumped in with both feet and picked up 6-foot-3, 170 lb. right-handed starting pitcher Sterling Sharp out of the Washington Nationals system.

Later on, Miami picked up catcher Julian Leon in the triple-A portion of the draft, which means that Leon doesn’t need to be on the major-league roster. The Marlins then lost outfielder Jhonny Santos to the Seattle Mariners.

What we Know

Sterling Sharp has been in the Nationals system for four seasons since they took him in the 22nd round of the 2016 draft out of Drury College. That’s the same organization which produced former Marlins starter Trevor Richards.

Sharp has produced a 25-21 record in 75 professional games, including 69 starts. He has totaled a 3.71 ERA and a 1.327 WHIP as a professional. At the double-A level for the past two seasons, he has gone 11-6 with a 4.18 ERA and 92 K’s in 118 1/3 innings for the Harrisburg Senators in the Eastern League.

Julian Leon is a five-foot-11, 235 lb. catcher from Hermosillo, Mexico. Born on January 24th, 1996, Leon has been in the Anaheim Angels system for the past three years, preceded by four seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers system. In 430 games as a professional, he has hit .237/.333/.395 with 50 homers and 221 RBI.

More from Marlins News

• Why didn’t the Miami Marlins sign JDM?
• Miami Marlins rejected Boston‘s trade offer
• Miami Marlins are pursuing Michael Conforto
• Miami Marlins need to spend to win
• Miami Marlins can’t afford to botch this trade

Defensively, Leon threw out 43 percent of baserunners trying to steal last season, gunning down 29-of-68. He passed three balls in just under 500 innings, and finished with a .990 fielding percentage. He’s as likely to start the season with the double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the Southern League as he is to start it at the triple-A level with the Wichita Wind Riders in the Pacific Coast League.

Jhonny Santos had been in the Marlins system since 2014. In the six seasons since, he’s collected a slash-line of .240/.305/.329 in 402 career games. He’s clubbed 16 homers in that time, and stolen 68 bases. Mostly, he brings solid defense to Seattle’s High-A or Double-A level. Santos has a .982 fPCT in 3240 1/3 defensive innings through his career.

What This Means to the Marlins

The only thing all of this means to Miami at the major league level is that Sterling Sharp will remain on the active roster all season, or be offered back to the Nationals at a discount if they decide not to. Sharp has started in over 90 percent of his career appearances, so the Marlins may fold him directly into the rotation. If they like, they can also deploy him as a mid-innings reliever.