A growing trend we have seen the past couple of years in regards to the draft is the increased number of college closers drafted in the first round. Most teams, typically using more of a boom or bust philosophy, don't want to specialize too much when approaching the draft, particularly with their first-round pick. I agree with the philosophy, and I also believe that closers are made and not born, as the best closers in big-league baseball usually are failed starters. Eric Gagne is a perfect example of this, as the Dodgers didn't know they had arguably the best closer in the game when they put him in the bullpen after scuffling as a starter several years in a row. By pitching in short relief, a pitcher like Gagne may benefit by throwing harder and not worrying about pacing themselves. Or, for a pitcher like Trevor Hoffman, is allows him to use his specialty, or "trick" pick, almost exclusively, not worrying about giving batters something different to look at.

There are also financial implications to drafting a college closer, who often come at a discounted price. That won't be the case this year with St. John's Craig Hansen, a Scott Boras advisee who is a candidate to go first overall to the Diamondbacks. In addition to Hansen, there are a few other closing candidates that could find themselves selected within the first two to three rounds of the draft. While I may not agree with the notion of taking such a specialized player so early in the draft, it does make more sense for a team with playoff aspirations, looking at how quickly some college closers such as Ryan Wagner, Chad Cordero and Huston Street have moved up in recent years.

Here are the most notable college closers that likely will be drafted in the first several rounds this June:

J. Brent Cox-RHP-Texas

Cox picked up where Huston Street left off, not only for the Longhorns, but for Team USA, serving as the team's closer during the summer of 2004. Like Street, Cox doesn't use absolutely unhittable stuff to put hitters away. He's at his best mixing up his sinking fastball and solid breaking pitch down in the zone. He has a strong build and an intimidating presence on the mound, while his makeup and control complement these attributes and his command of the strike zone perfectly.

Joey Devine-RHP-NC State

Devine served as Cox' setup man last summer for Team USA, leading the staff with a 0.55 ERA. His stuff moves so much late in the zone, and he changes speeds so well that it's hard for opposing batters to make hard contact off of him, much less contact at all. His fastball shows very good, late sinking life, and he mixes in a very good breaking ball. Devine is built square and strong with a strong lower half. While he doesn't throw in the mid-90s, he throws strikes, and rarely beats himself.

Craig Hansen-RHP-St. John's

As noted above, Hansen is one of four players the Diamondbacks are considering for the first overall pick in this June's draft. Represented by Scott Boras, Hansen isn't going to come cheap just because he's a closer. Armed with a mid-90s fastball and nasty slider, along with a projectable, athletic frame, Hansen commands the strike zone extremely well. He was virtually unhittable on the Cape last summer, not allowing an earned run all summer. Given his size and stuff, there are some that wonder why he isn't used more as a starter, as his two-pitch repertoire is powerful enough to go more than one inning.

Neil Jamison-RHP-Long Beach State

Jamison was drafted in the eighth round by the New York Mets last June, but decided to return for his senior season. While Jamison doesn't have overpowering stuff, he can pump his fastball in the low-90s and he also throws a very good slider that projects as a strikeout pitch. He changes speeds and commands the strike zone extremely well, leading to a nearly perfect season for the Dirtbags this spring.

Will Startup-LHP-Georgia

The lone southpaw on this list, Startup, much like Jamison, relies more on pitching moxie than raw stuff. His fastball sits in the high 80s to low 90s, and he mixes in a very good slider. Startup's best attribute is his intense, fearless approach on the mound. He doesn't step down from a challenge, and he pitches very aggressively. Even if Startup doesn't remain as a starter at the professional level, he should make a very effective setup man or left-handed specialist.

Here are five more closer candidates that are currently starters. For various reasons, these pitchers could end up in the bullpen before too long, whether it be due control issues or a limited repertoire.

Kris Harvey-RHP-Clemson

The son of former big-league closer Bryan Harvey, Kris Harvey is a natural pick to be a potential closer down the road. For now scouts will have to decide whether or not to draft him as a pitcher or a positional prospect, where he has big power at the plate. A good overall athlete, even if a team does draft him as a hitter, he could be moved back to the mound if all else fails. His powerful arm may allow him to move quickly as a reliever in that scenario.

Tim Lincecum-RHP-Washington

A pure strikeout pitcher, Lincecum can struggle with control. While he walks more than a batter an inning, he also walks more than a batter every other inning. Lincecum uses an explosive low to mid-90s fastball and a wicked slider to get the majority of his outs, and his delivery creates a great deal of deception. His delivery, in which he shows his back to the batter, dropping the ball straight down before bringing his arm straight over the top, may also lead to some future health concerns.

Zach Ward-RHP-Gardner-Webb

Ward has been throwing a very good, hard-breaking curveball since his high school days. In college, he has improved the command of his fastball, and he really turned heads in the scouting community by tossing a no-hitter in his second appearance of the season. Like Lincecum, Ward strikes out a lot of batters, but he is also known to walk quite a few as well. While he limits the number of base hits hit against him, he has somewhat of a max-effort delivery that may be a better fit in the 'pen.

Kevin Whelan-RHP-Texas A&M

Whelan was moved from behind the plate due to his natural arm strength. On the mound he has a nice, easy, athletic delivery that produces 94-96 mph heaters with his four-seam fastball. Whelan can also take a little bit off of his fastball, showing a nice, sinking two-seamer in the low 90s. He is considered a little more of a work in progress given the conversion, and if he doesn't develop his secondary pitches as much as teams would like to see, he could be a natural fit coming out of the bullpen.