With the June draft just a month away, it is an extremely busy time for our scouting department.

We have spent a lot of resources building up our scouting staff over the past year and between increased coverage and much better cross-checking, we are better prepared for this draft compared to any other in history.

Most of the media and fan attention in baseball’s draft has always been the first-round pick. We select sixth in the first round this year. Our organization philosophy is to take the best player available (long term) with our first pick. Although starting pitchers and impact bats are always our priority.

Here is a look at several of the first-round pick candidates for this year’s draft that will take place from June 7-9.

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Before we start, there is one rule change that should prevent players from dropping too far because of signability or agent issues. If you are unable to sign your drafted player in the first round by the new Aug. 15th deadline, then next year you will get the same pick. So, if we don’t sign our 6th pick, then next year we’ll get 6B.

Now, onto the names.

» College pitchers: Several starting pitchers will be taken in the first round. Andrew Brackman a 6-10 right-hander from North Carolina State; and left-handers Ross Detwiler of Missouri State, David Price of Vanderbilt and Daniel Moskos of Clemson are considered some of the top college pitchers who will be available in the draft.

There are also several high school pitchers that will be worth first-round consideration, including Matt Harvey of Fitch in Groton, Conn., Madison Bumgarner of South Caldwell in Hudson, N.C., Rick Porcello from Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, N.J. and Phillip Aumont from Quebec, Canada.

College position players who will be given serious consideration include Tennessee’s fleet-footed center fielder Julio Borbon, Georgia Tech’s switch-hitting catcher Matt Wieters (scouts compare him to Jason Varitek) and Rutgers shortstop Todd Frazier.

There are also several impressive high school bats who deserve consideration, including outfielders Jason Heyward from Henry County in Georgia; left-hand power-hitting center fielder Michael Burgess from Hillsborough in Tampa, Fla., and three California infielders in left-handed hitting Michael Moustakes and right-handed hitting Matt Dominguez, both from Chatsworth, and Josh Vitters a third baseman from Cypress.

It also appears to be a deep high school draft, which bodes well for us as we have five picks among the first 71 selections.

It should be an exciting draft for the future of the Washington Nationals.

As told to The Examiner’s John Keim.

Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden provides an exclusive column to The Examiner each week, ranging on topics from the Nats to the state of Major League Baseball.