On every scout's itinerary: for Prior and other Southern California products, the show started in high school - Insider: baseball

By almost anyone's standards, Mark Prior is having a dynamite rookie season. He has a 3.65 ERA, a better than 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and--despite playing for the lowly Cubs--winning record (4-3). Given his baseball roots, his success is no surprise.

Prior, 21, played high school baseball in southern California, a region that has produced many current major leaguers. On August 1,125 players--one out of every six--had origins in southern California.

It's been that way for years--from Ted Williams to Tony Gwynn to Nomar Garciaparra. In the last decade, the region has continued to churn out high-profile players, such as Jason Giambi, Bret Boone and Troy Claus. Prior was a teammate of the A's Barry Zito for a season at University of San Diego High School.

More than a dozen major leaguers, including Eric Chavez and Jacque Jones, grew up in the San Diego area. Prior says the intense baseball culture there and advanced level of high school competition helps players prepare for the next stage.

"High school playoffs were my first introduction to big-time baseball," Prior says. "Those were some of the best games I've ever played. There were always scouts there, which at first was weird, but you'd get used to them."

Because of the warm weather, year-round baseball is a reality. There's summer league, there's fall ball, there's winter league and, of course, there's the intense spring season. Not to mention scout leagues, a meat market of young prospects. By the time players get to the majors, they're used to the seven-month grind.

"If you're a good player, there's pressure to play all year long," says Prior, who played varsity basketball during the offseason. "People expect you to play travel ball. Everyone does it."

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