Lester Oliveros

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #26 prospect in 2012
  Former general manager Bill Smith took a lot of criticism for the Johan Santana trade with the Mets, but the Matt Garza-Jason Bartlett deal with the Rays was arguably worse. The key player the Twins got in that move was Delmon Young, who had a fine 2010 season but otherwise never lived up to his billing. Last August, Minnesota shipped Young to the Tigers for Oliveros and lefthander Cole Nelson. Oliveros reached the majors with Detroit in July and got back with Minnesota in August and September. He has the system's best fastball, an indictment of the system's lack of power arms but also a testament to Oliveros' 93-96 mph heater. He's stocky and strong-bodied, with a full-effort delivery that hinders his control. His future role will depend on his secondary stuff. For now, he has a fringy changeup and a below-average slider that breaks early. The Twins believe his slider can improve and were encouraged by Oliveros' strong winter ball performance in Venezuela. He has a chance to earn innings in the big league bullpen in 2012.
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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #17 prospect in 2011
  The Tigers aren't generally big spenders in Latin America, but they still get a good bang for their buck. Signing Oliveros for $8,500 out of Venezuela in 2005 is a case in point. He had his best season since coming to the United States in 2010, dominating high Class A hitters and finishing strong in Double-A to earn a spot on the 40-man roster. Oliveros profiles as a middle reliever and works mostly off his fastballs, using a 91-92 mph two-seamer with sink and a 94-96 mph four-seamer with good run. He doesn't quite hold his velocity when used in consecutive games, topping out at 93 on the second day. His best secondary pitch is a changeup that could be a solid-average offering. His 80-83 mph slider has lazy, slurvy action and gets hit hard, so he rarely throws it. Despite his clean delivery and easy arm action, Oliveros still is seeking consistent control and command. Though he had trouble finding the strike zone in Double-A, he'll advance to Triple-A to start 2011.
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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #33 prospect in 2010
  The Tigers generally aren't big spenders in Latin America, but they do get good bang for their buck. Oliveros signed for Just $8,500 out of Venezuela in 2005, but he has averaged more than a strikeout per inning in the minors while running his fastball up to 94 mph. He sometimes leaves it up in the strike zone too much, so he's working on creating a better angle to the plate and staying on top of it to better. Oliveros also throws a slider that can reach 85 mph as well as an adequate changeup, though his secondary pitches are still hit and miss. If he can develop more consistency with his pitches and command, he'll profile well as a middle reliever. He should spend this season in Double-A Erie.

• December, 2010 Scouting Report
  The Tigers aren't generally big spenders in Latin America, but they still get a good bang for their buck. Signing Oliveros for $8,500 out of Venezuela in 2005 is a case in point. He had his best season since coming to the United States in 2010, dominating high Class A hitters and finishing strong in Double-A to earn a spot on the 40-man roster. Oliveros profiles as a middle reliever and works mostly off his fastballs, using a 91-92 mph two-seamer with sink and a 94-96 mph four-seamer with good run. He doesn't quite hold his velocity when used in consecutive games, topping out at 93 on the second day. His best secondary pitch is a changeup that could be a solid-average offering. His 80-83 mph slider has lazy, slurvy action and gets hit hard, so he rarely throws it. Despite his clean delivery and easy arm action, Oliveros still is seeking consistent control and command. Though he had trouble finding the strike zone in Double-A, he'll advance to Triple-A to start 2011.