June fourth is D-Day, that is, decision day for major league baseball teams. The scouting, watching countless high school and college games, compiling mountains of data, trying to come up with some ringers, all comes to a screeching halt with the June 4-6 MLB First Year Player Draft, also known as the Rule 4 Draft.

Dodgers assistant GM Logan White selected Stanford's Chris Reed in the first round (16th overall) of the 2011 First Year Player Draft. Will White and company go after yet another pitcher on their first pick (18th overall) or will they select a position player, something that they haven't done since selecting James Loney in the 2002 draft? (Photo by Danny Moloshok - AP)

Can you imagine the nervous energy and excitement of the player development teams? I’m nervous at home just thinking about what it must be like, watching as players are chosen, desperately hoping that your choice is not snatched up just before you get to announce that choice. So much is riding on this draft, our first with new ownership in place. A new set of draft rules has changed the draft considerably, but a first round pick is still a first round pick. The secret to success is a strong core of home grown players. Millions of dollars for free agents alone, does not create a consistently competitive team. The free agents are the supporting parts of the team, not the pillars on which to build, at least in my opinion.

So here we are again at draft central. Who do we choose? Who would you choose? What positions are our priorities? Do we take High School or College players, or just the best player available, regardless of the position played? Will Logan and his team continue on with their pattern in past drafts?

In the last ten plus years, James Loney is the only position player taken in the first round by the Dodgers. James was drafted nineteenth overall in 2002, two picks after Cole Hamels and six in front of Matt Cain. When discussions regarding Dodger drafting strategy get into serious details, the following descriptions of recent selections occur frequently: power arms, bloodlines, athleticism. Aaron Miller could have been drafted as a power hitting outfielder and Ethan Martin could have been drafted as a third baseman. In both instances the Dodgers liked their arms better than their bats. Chris Reed was drafted as a reliever, but his athleticism allowed his conversion to starting. Allen Webster was a shortstop in high school.

Back to the question of the day. Who will be our first round selection tomorrow? I know we have to expect the unexpected, but the speculation alone makes me nervous. I expect that Logan’s team will select a third baseman or, guess what, a power arm. The draft is heavy with third basemen: Richie Shaffer, Corey Seager, Trey Williams, Daniel Robertson, Scott Piscotty, Joey Gallo, to name a few top picks. My choice would be Richie Shaffer, previously drafted by the Dodgers, but I expect he will not be available with the eighteenth overall pick. My ringer in the group is Joey Gallo, a High School player, who also has a power arm as well as exceptional power at the plate.

The two pitchers most often connected to us in mock drafts are Lance McCullers Jr. and Ty Hensley. Zach Efflin and Andrew Heaney have also been mentioned on more than one site. My hunch would be Hensley, depending on his signability. His results this season were phenomenal. He went 10-0 with 111 strikeouts in 55.1 innings on the mound and produced 10 homers and 42 RBI at the plate. He has athleticism, bloodlines and a power arm. Where have I heard that before? He fits the profile.