Sterling Patick is a 20-year-old left-handed pitcher that the Dodgers drafted in the 18th round of the 2023 draft out of South Hills High School in West Covina. South Hills is just a hop, skip, and a jump from Dodgers Stadium, and it has produced several professional baseball players over the years.
In fact, Jacob Amaya, whom the Dodgers traded for Miguel Rojas, went to school there and played for Darren Murphy as well. So Patick comes from a background of big-time baseball, expectations to be elite, and the mindset of winning within a great culture.
Getting Drafted
After being drafted in 2023, Patick spent the rest of that short season at the Complex, but made his affiliated debut a year later in August of 2024. He had 6 outings to finish that season and did very well, then started 2025 in Rancho as well.
For a kid coming straight out of High School, that’s a fairly quick ramp-up, especially considering that Patick dealt with a few injuries in 2024, which was his first full year of professional baseball.
In essence, he was transitioning from a 40(ish) game High School schedule and travel ball to the full 6-month grind of a Minor League season, so getting your body trained for that grind is a challenge.
He had just 6 outings at the complex in 2024 before being sent to Rancho, and he hit the ground running and pitched well to finish his first full season as a professional.
When asked what he learned that has helped him, here’s what he had to say.
I think just getting a taste of the Cal League last year helped to have that experience to get a feel for what things are like. It was nice to have that experience, and expectation of what to expect.
Patick was asked what his biggest challenge has been.
I’d say just getting the overall workload and taking care of my body, and staying healthy. It’s a heavier workload on the body.
The Development
It’s no secret that the Dodgers have possibly the best development system in all of baseball. The AAAA guys in OKC who have played in the MLB for several other organizations almost unanimously attest to that, so Patick is in a great spot.
His pitching coaches at the Single-A level both have Major League experience. Ramon Troncoso pitched for the Dodgers from 2008-2013, and Brandon Bailey pitched for the Reds in 2020.
So, the instruction he’s getting is elite, especially considering that Charlie Hough is a regular, Rick Honeycutt works with the pitchers in the system as well, and Rob Hill, the Dodgers Minor League pitching coordinator, is on top of everything.
As you can see, the instruction in the Dodgers system is a machine full of people with the highest experience, different ideas, and no ego in terms of who has to be right. The only goal is to find the best process for each player, and Patick, as well as the others, reap those benefits every day.
When asked about Troncoso and Bailey, here’s what Patick had to say.
They’ve been awesome! Just, throughout my outings, reviewing and preparing, they’ve been great. They’ve definitely helped a lot with my development, and I have nothing but respect for both of them.
The Pitch Mix
Patick features five pitches, with his fastball and cutter being his main two weapons. When talking about his mix, he said his best pitch is probably his curveball, and that he’s taking strides to develop his changeup, and he’s happy with the progress he’s making.
He also mentioned that he throws a sweeper, but that it’s probably his least-used pitch and that he only throws it to lefties. He said that the 2 pitches he wants to refine the most are his changeup and curveball. His curveball is Clayton Kershaw-esque, so it’s really good when he’s commanding it.
He changed his grip on his changeup earlier this year, so he’s still getting used to that.
Keys to Success
With all of the modern-day analytics, it’s easy to become a “stat rat.” There is so much information available, sifting through it, can be daunting, and it’s easy to get fixated on “stuff” that lights up the track man, vs. stuff that gets hitters out.
When asked what is the key to his success, Patick had a very good perspective.
I’d say it’s just count control. I think one of the biggest things about being in pro ball is how you’re able to control the count, because pitching ahead really helps.
When I’m able to get ahead with strike 1, then win the race to 2 strikes, I definitely find a lot more success.
Finishing Up
Being from West Covina, Patick gets to go home quite a bit, and his family gets to see him pitch, so that is really cool. When asked about his hobbies, he said he likes to spend time with family and play chess, which goes hand in hand with understanding strategy that can help on the baseball field.
Baseball is the only sport that he played growing up, and he grew up idolizing Clayton Kershaw and the pitcher he models after the most at the moment is Max Fried, but he’s always loved watching Kershaw throw.
Patick is only 20, and he’s getting stronger by the day, and is refining his craft every time he goes out. And, being drafted out of High School, there is no rush, so he will have a timeline that will allow him to be very thorough in the process of finding the best version of himself.
Big thanks to Sterling for joining, it’s greatly appreciated, he is an awesome young man with a great head on his shoulders and a TON of talent. Also, big thanks to Mark Watkins for reporting on the Quakes and doing this interview. This was the first interview he had done for Dodgers Daily, and he nailed it.
And, as always, thanks to you for reading, and always remember, it’s a Great Day to be a Dodger.
