2012 MLB Draft Projections: Pitchers Will Dominate Top-10 Selections

The 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft begins tonight at 7 p.m. ET with the first round and supplemental first round taking place.

There are a lot of great prospects this year, but pitching is definitely going to dominate the early picks, especially within the first 10 selections.

Let’s take a look at just some of the pitchers with a chance to go that early.

Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford

Appel is the consensus No. 1 pick and looks to be a relatively safe selection. He’s got a nice fastball and a lot of raw talent.

If he can develop better movement on his pitches, we are looking at a future star in the big leagues.

Kyle Zimmer, RHP, San Francisco

The Dons’ ace lost some zip on his pitch as the season wore on due to a hamstring issue, but he’s still worthy of a top pick.

If Zimmer can get his velocity back up to par, he’s going to be worth the lofty selection.

Kevin Gausman, RHP, LSU

This young man has a cannon arm and absolutely dominated with the Tigers in the tough SEC this season.

He’s got a nice fastball, a great change and a solid slider in his repertoire, and there is no way he falls from the top 10.

Chris Stratton, RHP, Mississippi State

Stratton is a four-pitch prospect with heat on his fastball. He may not be the most polished collegiate pitcher in the draft, but his ceiling is high and is well worth a gamble.

For the teams selecting early in the draft, they can’t afford to miss out on developing such a promising player.

Max Fried, LHP, Harvard-Westlake High School (Calif.)

This high school baseball powerhouse has produced yet another top-of-the-line pitching prospect. Fried is arguably the best lefty in this draft class and some lucky team near the top of the first round will definitely pounce on his upside.

He’s got a nice delivery and solid strength, meaning we should see plenty of Fried in the majors down the line.