Sam August saw 8 pro seasons, then returned to surfing

-

Sam August 1991 Jackson Generals baseball card

Asheville hurler Sam August earned praise from his manager in this August 1987 game, throwing a four-hitter while striking out 10, The Asheville Citizen-Times wrote.

"Sam really did a super job tonight," Asheville manager Keith Bodie told The Citizen-Times. "He did a great job mixing up his pitches and staying ahead of the hitters. ... I thought Sam did a great job keeping  their hitters off-balance."

For August, he continued to work to keep hitters off-balance over eight pro seasons. He topped out at AA.

But balance itself had been a part of August's life before baseball and since - as in balance on a surf board.

August's father Robert August became a legendary surfer in the 1960s, featured in the seminal surfing documentary "The Endless Summer."

His son has continued the tradition, working with his father's surfboard business and coaching the sport himself.

"It just dawned on me one day that I was a surfer," Sam August told The Corpus Christi Caller-Times in 2001, then the vice president for sales and marketing at his father's business. "I knew I would only be happy if I was doing something surf-related. I knew I wanted to make it in life by being a surfer."

Sam August's baseball career began in 1986, taken by the Astros in the second round of the January draft out of Orange Coast College.

August started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He went 6-5, with a 1.52 ERA. He then moved to single-A Asheville for 1987. He went 12-1 there, with a 1.72 ERA. 

August played abbreviated seasons in 1988 and 1989, getting five starts and two starts. He then returned for 11 starts in 1990 between Asheville and the GCL. He saw seven starts at AA Jackson in 1991 and four in 1992, all amid elbow problems.

August picked up his only win in 1992 in an April start, where he went six innings, gave up four hits and was pulled by his manager over his past elbow problems, The Jackson Clarion-Ledger wrote.

"I was able to move my fastball in and out, and I had the ability to throw my split-finger and curve ball," August told The Clarion-Ledger afterward. "I really didn't have good control out of my split-finger curve, but I was able to show it to to them."

August isn't recorded as playing in 1993. He then returned for 1994 with the Mariners at high-A Riverside and AA Jacksonville. He saw 21 outings, 12 starts between them. He went 5-4, with a 4.24 ERA to end his career.

He then returned to surfing. By 2005, he was president of Robert August Surf Co., which had made 3,500 custom boards the previous year, The Los Angeles Times wrote. He remains listed as with the company in 2025.

"A surfer really does identify with his board," August told The Times then. "Design ideas an logos vary from board to board, from an American flag to a picture of someone's wife to a religious saying. We give the customers what they want."

Sam August 1991 Jackson Generals baseball card


1990 Minor League Tally 
Players/Coaches Featured:4,512
Made the Majors:1,431-31.7%
Never Made Majors:3,081-68.3%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:581
10+ Seasons in the Minors:359

Browse By:

-Player Name
-Player Team
-Date Featured

Players A to Z

Popular posts from this blog

Scott Black got degree, drafted, played single season

-
Image
University of Missouri product Scott Black waited deep into the 1990 draft to be taken, but he was taken, The Columbia Daily Tribune wrote , a wait he described the wait as tying his stomach in knots. Having been taken, though, the right-hander also expressed satisfaction that he'd made it through another wait, the one to get his degree, The Daily Tribune wrote . "It's kind of sweet that I was able to get a degree and be able to sign at the same time," Black told The Daily Tribune after his selection. "If baseball doesn't work out as a career, I'll have something to fall back on." As it soon turned out, his baseball career did not work out. He played that single season . He topped out at high-A. Black's career began and ended that year in 1990, taken by the Astros in the 36th round of the draft out of Missouri. At Missouri, he struck out four in 2.2 innings of relief work to pick up a win as a freshman in May 1987. With the Astros, Black play...
Read more

Lance Smith caught, but liked hitting best, saw 3 seasons

-
Image
Lance Smith played at both catcher and designated hitter for single-A Asheville in 1991, The Asheville Citizen-Times wrote . He liked them both, but he liked hitting the best, he told The Citizen-Times wrote that August. "My favorite part of the game is hitting," Smith told The Citizen-Times then. "When I'm not catching, I love playing DH. Being there gives me a chance to hit." Smith ultimately had chances to hit in the minors over three seasons . He even got some chances to pitch. He topped out at single-A. Smith's career began in 1990, taken by the Astros in the 32nd round of the draft out of McNeese State University in Louisiana. Smith started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League and at short-season Auburn. He saw 39 games and hit .280. He then played 1991 largely at Asheville . He got into 107 games overall and hit .279, with four home runs.  For 1992, he played at single-A Burlington. While he continued to catch, he also got eight looks...
Read more

Brian Bennett started as catcher, pitched, saw 4 seasons

-
Image
After Brian Bennett 's first season in the minors in the Gulf Coast League, the scout that drafted him had good things to say to Bennett's hometown Palm Desert Post . The scout, Ross Sapp, told The Post that Bennett had improved his defense and his catching. He just had to work on his hitting. "He has a great desire for the game," Sapp told The Post . "He gives 120 percent all the time. That desire will carry him a long ways." For Bennett, he ultimately saw four pro seasons . He topped out at single A. Bennett's career began in 1987, taken by the Astros in the fifth round of the secondary phase of the previous June's draft out of the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California. Bennett eventually signed in early June 1987, after playing at San Bernardino County College, The Desert Sun wrote . "Mostly just relief knowing I can play baseball and not try to stay in school and do other things," Bennett told The Sun of his feelings on s...
Read more

Features from the 1990 minor league sets (By Date)

-
Image
What happened to your favorite minor league team in 1990? Find out here. Since late 2009, the players of 1990 have been featured at Greatest21Days.com, one at a time. Here, they've been ordered here by the date published, newest first.  Every player has a story. With the help of contemporaneous newspaper articles, find that story here. Most recent players added Dec. 1 ,  2024 Features in order of when the y appeared: February 2025  -  Doug Bair  did his job in major leagues over 15 seasons , 2/23/25  -  Nick Belmonte  played, managed, broadcast Florida games , 2/22/25  -  Mark Brewer  amassed coaching experience over long career , 2/21/25  -  Dan Shwam  had long independent league managerial career , 2/15/25  -  Jim Schifman  dreamed of pros, made it for eight games , 2/11/25  -  Steve Keighley  worked to hit over 4 seasons, made high-A , 2/9/25  -  Jim Doyle  helped Sal...
Read more

A to Z: 1990 Minor League Players, Baseball Profiles

-
Image
What happened to your favorite minor league team in 1990? Find out here. Since late 2009, the players of 1990 have been featured at Greatest21Days.com, one at a time. Here, they've been ordered here alphabetically.  Every player has a story. With the help of contemporaneous newspaper articles, find that story here. Most recent players added Dec. 1, 2024 List of 1990 minor league players featured, in alphabetical order: Total: 4,457 A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z A  -  Bill Abare  got big hit at Dunedin, saw three pro seasons , 10/31/13  -  Glenn Abbott  saw bigs over decade, later turned coach , 7/27/14  -  Kurt Abbott 's first ML hit went for homer, saw 9 seasons , 3/22/15  -  Kyle Abbott  saw time in four major league seasons, Japan , 10/4/17  -  Paul Abbott  returned from injuries, made 11 ML seasons , 5/23/11...
Read more

Doug Kemp's pro career proved brief, three appearances

-
Image
Doug Kemp 's pro career proved brief. He's recorded as playing in just three games. But he may have gone on to continue in the game, as a minor league stadium general manager. A Doug Kemp, credited as attending the same school the player Kemp is credited as turning general manager at the home field of the Clearwater Threshers.  The player Doug Kemp's career began and ended in 1990, signed by the Astros as a free agent out of the University of Houston. The pitcher saw three games for the rookie Gulf Coast League Astros. In 3.2 innings, he gave up three walks and one earned run. Those numbers marked the extent of his pro career . Kemp may have gone on to settle in Clearwater, though a direct connection could not be located - as in a reference that the Clearwater Kemp played baseball or played with the Astros. But the two Kemps are both listed as from the University of Houston. And the baseball Kemp is also listed with ties to Florida, as in born in Fort Pierce . (Though th...
Read more

Len Brutcher played pro baseball, then college basketball

-
Image
His baseball career over, Len Brutcher tried something new in 1994. The former White Sox second-round pick returned to college and played basketball for Victor Valley College, according to the San Bernardino County Sun . "I don't think many people get the chance I've had," Brutcher told The Sun . "When guys get out of baseball, they're usually too old to go to basketball and if they get out of basketball, they're usually too old for baseball. I'm lucky." Brutcher returned to college after his five season pro baseball career. Brutcher never made AA . Brutcher's baseball career began in 1988, taken by the White Sox 40th overall out of Cicero-North Syracuse High School . Brutcher was also credited as Lenny Brutcher. In high school, Brutcher won the Gatorade New York State Player of the Year award for 1987-1988. Brutcher started with the White Sox in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He went 9-1, with a 2.55 ERA over 14 outings,...
Read more