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).
Bruce Rondon, RHP, Grade C
Bats R, Throws R, Height 6’2", Weight 190 lbs, Date of Birth December 9, 1990
Rondon is a young right-handed relief pitcher that spent most of the year in Rookie ball. Normally that means I’d ignore him as being too far away. But his stuff is good (a fastball in the mid-90's and a good slider) and his numbers in rookie ball were reasonably impressive (a 0.70 ERA with 9.1 strikeouts per 9 innings). He walked too many guys, and the shiny ERA doesn’t matter so much (seriously, it’s the Gulf Coast League, ERA doesn’t matter at all). But the strikeout rate is nice and if he puts up good numbers in Lakeland this year (the Tigers gave him a bit of a late-season challenge there last year) then he might be a good one.