ESPN RISE

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Each year, Area Code offers more than 220 talented baseball players the opportunity to be evaluated by major league scouts.

The scouts who choose the final rosters for the eight Area Code teams evaluated more than 1,800 players. The Chicago White Sox, for example, saw 497 try out.

"What one group of eyes sees, is not what another sees," said one American League Area Scout. "That's what makes this industry so fun. There are many roads traveled to Long Beach."

Robby Rowland, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound right-handed pitcher from Cloverdale (Calif.), attended the Milwaukee Brewers tryout but did not get "the call" to inform him he made the team. But he did receive a call from Colorado Rockies area scout Gary Wilson who said that the Oakland Athletics team needed another arm. Rowland gladly jumped on board with the team representing the Southeastern states.

"I was upset when I didn't get a call back, but I understand, it's a tough process," Rowland said. "It's tough on kids, a one-day, one-tryout process. You really have to be ready for your outing. It puts lots of pressure you."

Rowland described the grueling process: He arrived for the tryout at 8 a.m., but did not pitch until later in the afternoon. Rowland was the 11th pitcher to throw and after nine or 10 pitches, he was done.

"I gave up a single on three pitches, then on the second pitch the next batter grounded into a double play. I struck out the third batter, I believe, on four pitches and that was it."

Rowland was a little weary coming into Long Beach because he hadn't thrown for an extended period of time; he was busy playing basketball on the AAU scene for the Bay Area Hoosiers. In his junior season at Cloverdale, Rowland was the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat's Player of the Year and a Div. V all-state pick after pumping in 25.5 ppg and 14.1 rpg for a 28-3 team that advanced to the CIF Div. V NorCal Regionals.

Rowland competed at the Adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas and the Best of Summer tournament at Loyola Marymount University before heading to Long Beach. In short work, Rowland displayed a mid three-quarter delivery and a loose arm. His fastball hit up to 91 on the radar gun and he also displayed the ability to throw a breaking ball for strikes.

"Rowland was lights out on the mound, he threw very well," said coach Neil Avent of the Oakland Athletics, the team that will face the Cincinnati Reds on Monday afternoon in a battle of unbeaten teams.

Ronnie Flores is a senior editor of ESPN RISE. If you're an ESPN Insider, check out Keith Law's analysis here. For more information, check out the ESPN RISE baseball blog. For Area Code updates, follow us on Twitter. For more information on the Area Code Games, click here.