BRADENTON, Fla. -- Standing near the entrance to Pirate City, where his 2026 journey began nearly nine months ago, Levi Sterling couldn’t help but smile when he considered all that has occurred.

Sterling developed a lot. In a short amount of time, too.

As one of the youngest players in Single-A for much of the season, Sterling -- who only turned 20 in early September -- remembers what it felt like to have things snowball on him, for the game to speed up and to lack confidence with his command.

But thanks to a busy and productive season, the world looks different now for one of the Pirates’ most intriguing pitching prospects, a 6-foot-5, 202-pound right-hander with plenty of athleticism and projectable tools.

“I feel like I really improved,” said Sterling, the Pirates' No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline. “Outing by outing, I really tried to learn and grow. Toward the end was when I felt like I was doing my best, when I was the most confident on the mound and still learning stuff.”

To that point, Sterling finished his season with a flourish, earning a promotion to High-A Greensboro and shining in one of the Grasshoppers’ playoff games.

“My last couple outings in Greensboro, things really started to click with command, sequencing and velocity,” Sterling said. “I’m just happy I was able to grow and experiment, to find out what works for me, take it into next year and keep getting better.”

In 24 starts across two levels, Sterling pitched to a 4.56 ERA and struck out 130 in 108 2/3 innings. Perhaps most importantly, he sliced his walks per nine innings down from 6.1 in rookie ball in 2025 to 3.7 with the two affiliates.

Along the way, Sterling said he became more comfortable throwing his slider in any count, knowing the pitch could help him escape trouble. He also began to notice a difference in how he attacked hitters, along with having more confidence and cutting a stronger presence on the mound.

“At the beginning of the year, when I’d give up a couple hits, the bleeding wouldn’t stop,” Sterling said. “But toward the end of the year, if I gave up a hit, I remember thinking, ‘Good job. But that’s not gonna happen again.’ ”

There are numbers that bear that out, too.

Sterling delivered five innings of two-run ball while walking one and striking out nine to conclude the regular season. Then in the playoffs, he pitched a shutout over five more frames, walking two and striking out five in a 5-3 Greensboro victory.

After averaging 90.2 mph in 2025, Sterling’s fastball velocity made a sizable jump up to 93.6 this past season -- and there’s still room to grow for a player who also demonstrated a strong ability to spin the ball and miss bats.

“I was able to develop a really good routine this year, which is big for me,” Sterling said. “I was able to add strength while being diligent with my work every day, knowing what I had to get done.”

It’s a mindset Sterling has carried into the offseason, as well -- accounting for every minute here, knowing where he could be by the time this process runs its course.

“The offseason can go by really fast,” Sterling said. “A way to slow it down is knowing exactly what you have to get done each day, check those off and do it well. I take a lot of pride in that.”

Along with being athletic, which is another thing that separates Sterling.

While attending Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif. -- Giancarlo Stanton and Hunter Greene also went there -- Sterling played a lot of shortstop and has always felt a connection between pitching and playing a position.

That’s why, even now, Sterling will mix in athletic throws during catch play and a few times per month try to take ground balls at shortstop, reminding himself to stay nimble and showing others that pitchers are athletes, too.

“It’s very important to me,” Sterling said. “There were a couple plays this year where I made on the mound that would not have happened otherwise if I didn’t continue with throwing from weird angles,” Sterling said. “It’s just good to stay athletic.”

At the time of his promotion, Sterling led the Florida State League in innings pitched (96) and strikeouts per nine (10.5) while ranking second in strikeouts (112), batting average against (.215) and WHIP (1.19).

In his last start for the Marauders, Sterling used his dynamic four-pitch mix to strike out 11 over six innings against the Lakeland Tigers on Aug. 11, proving he was ready for another challenge.

Sterling hasn’t looked back since, though he doesn’t have any plans to expand his two-way plans beyond the occasional ground ball.

“Hitting-wise, I miss being in the cage,” Sterling said. “But when I see other pitchers throw in games … nah, I’m good. Plus, I really like all the progress I made this year.”