Every weekday from February 7-25, I'll be publishing a prospect profile from my top 30 Detroit Tigers prospect list. The profiles that appear here on Bless You Boys were the ones that were cut for space from this year's Maple Street Press Tigers Annual. You'll be able to read half the list for free, but I'd really encourage you to order the annual for the other half (not to mention all the other great content).
Lester Oliveros, RHP, Grade C
Bats R, Throws R, Height 5'11", Weight 178 lbs, Date of Birth May 28, 1988
Oliveros is a young, live arm with a good mid 90's fastball and a plus slider. Detroit sent him to AA Erie halfway through this year after a good 19 innings in Lakeland. In Erie, Oliveros got rocked pretty hard: he had an ERA of 4.97 mostly due to poor control (he walked 17.5% of the batters he faced). He also struck out a whopping 31% of the batters he faced, so the arm is good. If Oliveros can put his pitches where he wants them, we could see him make an impact in Detroit as soon as 2012, and he could close in the future.