2012 MLB Draft Prospects: 10 Best Closers in the 2012 Draft Class

The 2012 MLB first-year player draft is quickly approaching and teams are finalizing their scouting reports with grades on potential future superstars.

This draft class offers a lot of big arms and strong bats. Some will make it to the majors. Many won't. The goal for each team is to find that out sooner rather than later and to try and base their picks off of it.

There's always an emphasis on selecting pitchers that throw hard, have great off-speed pitches and that have the potential to be the next Justin Verlander or Cliff Lee. Relievers aren't usually high draft picks as teams transition the struggling starting pitchers to the bullpen more often than not. 

It is essential for each major league team to have a reliever that they can rely on and can trust in high pressure situations. In most cases, that's the closer. 

I've come up with 10 great relievers, who will most likely turn into closers if they aren't already, that will be drafted next week. As you'll notice there aren't any high school pitchers. This is mainly due to the lack of high school relievers that are likely to be drafted and that many talented high school players are usually starting pitchers and also play a position.

Who will be the next Mariano Rivera?

Marcus Stroman, Duke

Height/Weight: 5’9”/185 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: Duke

Class: JR

Marcus Stroman has been a starting pitcher for the Duke Blue Devils but it's expected that he will eventually be moved to the bullpen, according to Bleacher Report's Mike Rosenbaum. Stroman has pitched in 14 games this season for Duke, all being starts.

He has an extremely high K/9 rate and doesn't walk many batters either. ESPN's Keith Law (Insider required) notes that Stroman could even reach the major leagues this season as a three-pitch reliever.

Martin Agosta, St. Mary's

Height/Weight: 6’1”/178 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: St. Mary's

Class: JR

Martin Agosta is the ace of the Gaels' pitching staff but also profiles more of a reliever than a starter due to a below-average fastball, according to ESPN's Keith Law (Insider required).

He has pitched in over 100 innings for St. Mary's this season and his ERA is only 2.18. If he were to continue starting, he'd most likely have to develop a fourth pitch to his repertoire but the fastball is really holding him back.

Nolan Sanburn, Arkansas

Height/Weight: 6’1”/205 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: Arkansas

Class: SO

Nolan Sanburn isn't used as Arkansas' closer but he is one of their most reliable relievers. He's only pitched in 35.2 innings for the Razorbacks this season but still has a 2.78 ERA as well as an opponents batting average of .206. 

Bleacher Report's Mike Rosenbaum ranks Sanburn as the 25th best pitching prospect in the draft and that he could make it to the big leagues before 2015 if his pro team doesn't make him a starting pitcher.

Stephen Johnson, St. Edward's

Height/Weight: 6’4”/205 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: St. Edward's

Class: JR

ESPN's Keith Law (Insider required) ranks Stephen Johnson as the 60-second best prospect in the draft. Johnson has 18 saves this season in 30 appearances and has only allowed seven earned runs in 43.1 innings of work.

In Law's scouting report, he notes how Johnson has a terrible delivery that could get him to the majors quickly before anything happens to him. I could see this issue hurting his draft stock since he could very well be an injury risk.

Teams won't like that they may only have him for a short period of time before he needs some sort of surgery. Whoever drafts him may also take the approach of reconstructing his entire delivery but that may be unlikely.

Dylan Baker, Western Nevada CC

Height/Weight: 6’3”/215 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: Western Nevada CC

Class: SO

This junior college pitcher has been starting for Western Nevada this season and has excellent success, going 12-0 in 17 games (15 starts). He's throw three complete games this year and has a 1.86 ERA in 77.1 innings; not to mention he also struck out 116 batters.

Bleacher Report's Mike Rosenbaum ranks him as the 20th-best pitching prospect while ESPN's Keith Law (Insider required) ranks him as the 75th-best prospect overall. Both agree that Baker could be a gem in the rough for a team that can use him as a closer or a starting pitcher.

He only has two pitches which usually mean he'll be pitching out of the bullpen but there is the possibility of developing an extra.

Jake Barrett, Arizona St.

Height/Weight: 6’3”/230 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: Arizona St.

Class: JR

Arizona St.'s closer Jake Barrett had a solid season in 2012, despite having arm issues in the past. This season he saved 11 games for the Sun Devils, pitching in 32.1 innings over 30 appearances and compiling a 1.39 ERA. 

He isn't a big strikeout pitcher by any means but doesn't walk many batters either. ESPN's Keith Law (Insider required) writes that Barrett can only be a reliever as his injury woes started when ASU tried to use him as a starter. If he's healthy, selecting him early in the draft could pay off quickly.

Matt Boyd, Oregon St.

Height/Weight: 6’3”/215 lbs

Bats/Throws: L/L

School: Oregon St.

Class: JR

Matt Boyd is the first left-handed pitcher on this list and is the Oregon St. setup man. Boyd had a good season but if you look further into his freshman and sophomore seasons, you'll quickly see that they were much better than that of his junior year. He did have a 3.71 ERA this season in 34 innings which isn't too good for a reliever but has posted two sub-2.00 ERA seasons in the past.

Boyd is Oregon St.'s best draft eligible player according to Bleacher Report's Mike Rosenbaum. I think that time is what Boyd is going to need and definitely more innings. He did pitch in 29 games but needs more experience late in games if he wants to be a big league closer/reliever. 

Matt Koch, Louisville

Height/Weight: 6’3”/205 lbs

Bats/Throws: L/R

School: Louisville 

Class: JR

Despite saving four games this season for the Louisville Cardinals, Matt Koch is only second on the team in that category. As Bleacher Report's Mike Rosenbaum writes on Koch, he profiles as a reliever due to his delivery and is ranked as the Cardinals' top draft eligible player.

One thing you'll notice about Koch is that his statistics aren't very good at all. He pitched in 21 games for Louisville this year and has a relatively high ERA.

He's not much of a strikeout pitcher and doesn't walk too many batters either, but the most staggering statistics is the opponent's batting average. Opposing hitters hit .325 against him this season. That's not good at all and needs to come way down if he wants to be a big league closer.

Michael Morin, North Carolina

Height/Weight: 6’4”/207 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: North Carolina

Class: JR

Michael Morin is probably the best "closer" on this list, saving 17 games for North Carolina this season. He pitched in 33 games for the Tar Heels and compiled 49.1 innings while striking out nearly a batter an inning. The most impressive part of Morin's game is that he rarely allows runners to score. He only allowed six runs, five of them earned, all season long.

Bleacher Report's Mike Rosenbaum is very high on Morin's talent but fears an injury could be the cause of his dip in velocity this season. If Morin does have an injury, his stock could fall drastically and could potentially cost him a lot of money. If that's the case, he might just stay at UNC for his senior season and re-enter the draft again next season. Hopefully there isn't an injury and he can start closing games for a minor league team soon.

JT Chargois, Rice

Height/Weight: 6’3”/200 lbs

Bats/Throws: S/R

School: Rice

Class: JR

JT Chargois is the last reliever on this list but he's a little different than my other selections since he's actually a relatively big part of the Rice offense as well. Despite his ability to hit, he's also been a good closer for the Owls, saving a team-high eight games this season in 24 appearances.

Chargois strikes out nearly a batter an innings and has only allowed nine earned runs in 36 innings. He's Rice's best draft eligible player according to Bleacher Report's Mike Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum writes how he still developing as a pitcher since he only started pitching for the Owls in his sophomore year. 

I think it will be interesting to hear what his future pro team drafts him as. Would they rather have a switch-hitting infielder or a closer? It wouldn't be a complete shock if they choose offense over pitching.