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Imagine: 80,000 eyes beating down on you, the weight of the world on your shoulders, teammates looking to you to close out a win.

There’s pressure, and then there’s being a closer.

And because of that, your closer will typically fall into one of two personality archetypes: bookish, reserved and analytical, looking for any extra edge that a crafty pitcher can come up with, or wild-eyed maniac, charging out of the bullpen to thrasher metal, maybe with a snort, definitely with a snarl. Picture Charlie Sheen, “Major League� hero Ricky Vaughn running in to “Wild Thing.�

Take Mark Melancon.

The San Francisco Giants closer, who finally had his pick of teams this offseason and put it to good use, is measured in his words. He speaks slower, more thoughtfully, than other big-league players. Even on a day in which he was placed on the disabled list with a mild pronator strain in his right elbow, Melancon addressed a pack of reporters with candor but caution, selecting his adjectives like a chef picks the ripest of tomatoes.

“It’s really tough, actually,� the former Arizona Wildcats closer told reporters last week. “I’ve never been on the DL. It’s been a huge goal of mine, a career goal, to do that my entire career.�

The 32-year-old Melancon is a case study in serenity, a brooding, intense-yet-reserved force on the mound.

Quiet, even.

Might as well jump

But then again …

“One day he’s at practice in a boot in the dugout,� said former Arizona coach Andy Lopez, who still talks to his former closer regularly. “He says he twisted an ankle. I said OK, but then I hear through the grapevine that he jumped out of an airplane up in Marana. That’s how he rolled his ankle. Melancon was in the dugout, I stopped practice as a plane goes by and start screaming, ‘Don’t jump Melancon! Please don’t jump!’ His teammates looked at me like, ‘Oh he knows,’ and then they look at him, and he’s sitting there like uhhhhh.�

This is a guy who has swam with sharks, hiked the Grand Canyon, biked down treacherous paths in Bolivia.

So it’s fair to say he’s a balanced guy.

Part analytical — Melancon studies batters’ tendencies on the iPad during games and warm-ups — and part thrill seeker.

Sounds like an ideal composition for a closer.

“You don’t see too much fire, but it comes out every once in a while,� said Derek Law, the Giants’ setup man. “He’s a good mix. He’s not a big, intimidating guy around the league, but everyone knows his stuff around the league. You don’t have to be 6-8, 280 to scare people. The name he’s created for himself, it’s like, ‘Oh no, Melancon.’�

That name has been on the National League All-Star roster three of the past four seasons, and on the 2017 World Baseball Classic gold-medal winning squad from Team USA.

Melancon was activated from the disabled list before Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants are now 17-25, though they’ve won five of their last six games.

‘Mark’s a pro’

This is the kind of career Lopez could see for Melancon a mile away.

Melancon was a starting pitcher, two-time all-state football player and one-time all-state basketball player at Golden High School in Golden, Colorado. Lopez asked Melancon to slide into a relief role as a freshman in Tucson, but midway through the season, he’d seen enough.

“We ran drills, trying to figure out who can adapt to the closer role, and he was a cut above anybody,� Lopez said.

Said Melancon: “There’s no question: I wouldn’t be here without Andy Lopez. Maybe the most significant guy outside of my family that I’ve ever been around. Somebody that whenever he’s talking, I want to listen.�

Melancon became Lopez’s first-ever freshman closer, and eventually finished second on the team’s all-time saves chart. When he felt his arm tighten during his junior season and was shelved for the season, Lopez still insisted he go on the road with the team.

“I took him even though I wasn’t going to use him, simply because I wanted him on the flight, in the hotel, doing batting practice,� Lopez said. “You just want a guy like Mark Melancon in your world.�

Melancon’s new manager with the Giants, Bruce Bochy, echoes Lopez’s sentiments.

“Mark’s a pro,� Bochy said. “He’s a great teammate, really focused. He’s mixed in well with the bullpen and all the guys in the clubhouse. He’s been a great fit.�

Melancon picked the Giants in part because he could see himself easily fitting into the makeup of the clubhouse. He’d gained a familiarity with some of the team’s stars during all-star games, and his wife, Mary Catherine, befriended some of the Giants’ wives. The Melancons were eager to raise a family, which includes three children, ages 5, 3, and 1, in the Bay Area.

“It was a big part of the decision,� Melancon said. “Most of their childhood will be in San Francisco, a lot of their early memories. From my wife and my perspective, that was a big deal. We wanted to make sure they’d be in a good spot.�

And speaking of a good spot, it sure was nice for Melancon to pick his own.

Cashing in

Some players go their entire careers without learning about the business end of baseball. That part of the game is no less painful than dropping the seventh game of the World Series. It can be ruthless, it can be cutthroat.

Melancon, who was traded from the New York Yankees to the Houston Astros to the Boston Red Sox to the Pittsburgh Pirates and, finally, to the Washington Nationals midway through last season, has learned that time and time again.

“From his standpoint, it’s nice to be wanted,� Giants bullpen catcher Eli Whiteside said. “If you’re traded a few times, you know somebody wants you. But this year, we’re glad he chose to come to us.�

Not only did he find himself a good fit, Melancon found himself a good paycheck. He’ll make $62 million over the next four years.

“It’s a dream come true to be in that situation, and I’m extremely blessed,� Melancon said. “I have a lot of people to thank for that. It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s been a lot of fun.�

Fun, because not only has he found a fit, he’s found his calling.

“It does seem easy to him,� said Law, who was thrust into Melancon’s closer role when Melancon hit the DL. “Now it’s just natural, he’s used to the pressure. You can have a starter going eight innings, and at the end, he’s the one who’s going to win it or lose for you. And for him, it seems like the fourth inning.�

Thirteen years ago, at Lopez’s insistence, Melancon became a closer. Now, it’s in his blood.

“It fit,� he said. “My personality, my ability to bounce back, my nature is to be a closer. I try to approach things from a very sound, logical sense. I have some wild and crazy in me too, and I try not to show that on the mound. But it is built into my personality.�