Morning everybody. Today, we're talking with the Mets' 20th round draft pick in the 2009 draft, outfielder Joey August. Good morning Joey. Are you back home in SoCal?
August:
Good morning, thanks for having me. I actually am all done with school and I am currently back home in Salem, Oregon. It's really nice to be back in the northwest.
Mack:
Kewl. Joey, let's go back to 2009 and the second day of the draft. Tell us what it was like to get drafted into professional baseball?
August:
It was an unbelievable feeling, I went through a surgery my junior year that kept me from getting drafted and there were times I didn't think it would ever happen. I know it sounds cliche but this is something you dream about your whole life and to finally see your name next to a major league teams logo on that draft tracker was very exciting to say the least.
Mack:
Joey, I fully understand. Very few people ever get even that far.
Last season, you played in Savannah, but for whatever reasons, management slotted you in as a part time player. Tell the readers out there just how hard it is to put up numbers when you aren't playing every day?
August:
It can be frustrating for sure, you would like to get consistent at bats to really show what you can do. But you’re not going to make it very far in this business if you complain every step up the way. Those were the cards I was dealt my first season and I just tried to be the best I could in that situation. I really believe I learned a lot from that situation and was able to use what I learned to make me a better player and a better person. You really find out what you’re made of through adversity like that.
Mack:
And you definitely became a better player this year for Lucy. In fact, you improved in every single offensive category. Anything different this year or was it just more at bats and myuch more practice and experience?
August:
I think getting more at bats and experience played a large part in my improvement. I also think this was the first year I really felt I could prepare for physically; I had back surgery two years ago and never really got back to where I wanted to be physically until this last off-season. I really think feeling good physically gave me a lot of confidence coming into this year and gave me a drive to try and prove myself.
Mack:
Joey, going to AA is a whole new experience. What are your goals for the 2011 season and what will you be doing in the off-season to help get ready for the spring?
August:
I would like to continue to prove myself as a hitter and an outfielder. I plan to continue to work hard in the weight room and in the cage to make sure I give myself every opportunity to have a very good productive year. I don't like setting number goals, I have a good friend who plays as well who always tells me to just worry about preparing the best way you can and trust that the numbers come. You can sell yourself short with numbers, say you want to get 50 rbis but have a great first half of the year and do it in the first 70 games, are you just supposed to shut it down? So I have always tried to listen to his advice and just work hard in the off-season and prepare well and trust that the numbers will be there when it’s all said and done. Just worry about the stuff you can control I guess. So I guess I would say that my goal is to prove myself as a productive offensive threat and a quality defensive outfielder and let the chips fall where they may.
Mack:
Sounds pretty solid to me.
Joey, thank you and I wish you the best next season. I'll see you in Florida in March.
August:
Sounds great, thanks a lot Mack.
Old August stuff:
August was a 20th round draft pick in the 2009 draft.
http://www.gostanford.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/august_joey00.html - At Stanford: Four-year letterwinner graduated from Stanford leading all active players in hits (70) and career average (.311. 219-for-698)...career totals at Stanford include 127 runs, 9 home runs, 92 RBIs, and a slugging average of .401... also a team leader in the outfield with a fielding average of .984 while only committing five errors in his four years... highlights include a CWS performance of .400 hitting average with three runs, one double, and two RBIs... a four RBI game against Washington in 2009... 11 game hitting streak in 2007... earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention accolades as a sophomore in 2007 and again as a senior in 2009...is a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic selection... was drafted in the 20th round by the New York Mets
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article ... - August is having a solid season. He has made a smooth transition from left field to center, and is hitting .311 with five homers and 34 RBIs. He also leads the team with 68 hits, is tied for first with 13 doubles and has struck out 15 times in 219 at bats. After participating in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., last season — Stanford tied for third and August hit .400 —he'd like one more opportunity to play on college baseball's grand stage. "It was unbelievable. It's Disneyland for college baseball players," said August, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder who throws left and bats left. "Once you go, you realize it's even bigger than people talk about."
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/baseball/ - Senior Joey August was solid all year for the Cardinal, batting .304 and leading the team with 70 hits on the season. August may get picked up in the later rounds because of his all-around game — he only committed one error this season while manning the centerfield position for Stanford. Though Storen is not the authority on the issue, August’s teammate was fairly certain that the senior would be selected in the upcoming draft. “A lot of teams love Joey,” Storen said. “When guys ask me who I would pick as a fielder, I would pick him because he’s just an all-around good ballplayer, and scouts know that. He’ll definitely get picked up.”
In 2009, August played three games for Brooklyn and then went on to Savannah for the entire season. Stats: 130-AB, .208/.271/.285/.555.
In spite of his poor showing in 2009, August was promoted to St. Lucie and showed improvement in all offensive categories: 237-AB, .262/.330/.367/.697.
2011 forecast: - It’s really tough to try and figure out at this point what the starting outfields will be. Eric Campbell will most likely play one of the Binghamton positions, and Carlos Guzman will be given a chance to win back his job that was interrupted by a season-ending injury. My guess is August will move on the the B-Mets, but will fight it out with Pedro Zapata for a starting position.
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