Baseball: Area Code Games test players in front of many scouts

When the two collegiate baseball coaches who’ve won national championships the last two seasons, Tim Corbin of Vanderbilt and John Savage of UCLA, are sitting together behind home plate watching the same high school baseball players, it says something about the importance of the event.

And the Area Code Games being held this week at Blair Field in Long Beach offer an opportunity for top players from around the country to perform in front of professional and college scouts, testing their skills in a pressure-filled setting. If one or two stand out, that’s big news.

There are dozens of radar guns aimed at pitchers. Stopwatches are plentiful. Agents wander about looking for potential clients.

It’s a great opportunity for players with pro ambitions to prepare for their senior season and get an early peek at all the distractions and scrutiny they’re going to encounter.

“They need to get used to that big stage and that big environment,” Savage said. “They need to be themselves is the biggest key.”

Pro scouts want to see who rises to the top when the best faces the best.

The team representing the Milwaukee Brewers has mostly Southern California high school players on its roster. Long Beach Wilson catcher Chris Betts, a Tennessee commit, has been having a good tournament. Dana Hills pitcher Marrick Crouse, a San Francisco commit, was effective on the mound on Thursday.

A new Area Codes Games for underclassman begins Friday and lasts through Sunday.

It’s never too early to try to spot the next future major leaguer.

Twitter:@LATSondheimer