One On One with T.J. Thomas
03/12/2011, 12:00am (EDT)
By Steve Sidoti, Photo by Baseball Player Magazine
T.J. Thomas, a graduate of St. Dominic High School and draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in the 2007 MLB draft, left New York to attend San Diego State under the leadership of Tony Gwynn in 2007. After two seasons, T.J. made a decision to come back home and play for the Hofstra Pride. This will be his first season playing alongside his Pride teammates. Thomas gives credit to many, but believes he would never be where he is today without the constant support and encouragement of his father. BPM got to sit down with T.J. Thomas to find out about part of the baseball journey he has taken and what he hopes is to come.
BPM: How did you get started playing baseball?
Thomas: Well, I got started playing tee-ball when I was real young. My dad has always been a baseball fan and basically I just started when I was young and I’ve loved it ever since.
BPM: Is there one memory in particular during your four years at St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay that you would like to share?
Thomas: I enjoyed high school a lot. I played basketball and baseball. I was always busy and had good coaches. I got invited to the Nassau County vs. Suffolk County All-Star Game which was a good experience playing baseball and doing well out here. So I would say that’s one great memory.
BPM: What was it like playing for a Hall of Famer like Tony Gwynn at San Diego State?
Thomas: Well, it definitely was a good experience. I was honored to play under him. He’s a Hall of Famer. I’m a hitter, so I was trying to learn as much as I could and apply it to my game. Trying to learn from a Hall of Famer is always a big thing for any baseball player. You always try to learn as much as you can. It was a great experience.
TJ Thomas w/Kevin Long, Yankees Hitting Coach
BPM: That must have been a real thrill for you. Being that Tony Gwynn played in the major leagues for 20 seasons, compiled over 3,000 hits, and retired with a .338 career average, are there any tricks or certain tips that he shared with you that enabled him to be so successful?
Thomas: Definitely. I’ve never had any special training like an instructor of any sort. It’s always been just me and my dad. This was the first time I was really learning from someone who has played the game at a high level like the Major Leagues, and he’s also a Hall of Famer. He taught me how to put myself in a good position to be successful. My dad taught me as much as he knew, but I got to another level of training with Coach Gwynn. He shared little tricks about pitch counts and things like that.
BPM: What was it like playing alongside Stephen Strasburg and dealing with the amount of attention that the program was getting in 2009?
Thomas: Oh, man. Everyone knew that he was such a talent. It was exciting when Strasburg would pitch. The games would be packed with thousands of people there, so it was good to get the experience of playing in front of a lot of people, because my aspirations are to get to the next level. Just playing in front of a lot of people like that is definitely a good experience. It’s like a home field advantage to have that many people rooting for you and of course coming out to see Strasburg while rooting for the team at the same time.
BPM: In addition to Stephen Strasburg, you also played with Corey Vaughn, who was a fourth-round pick of the Mets this past summer. He had a sensational first season of professional baseball while playing with the Brooklyn Cyclones. Can you describe what type of player and teammate Corey was at San Diego State?
Thomas: Corey Vaughn was a great teammate. He laughed and joked, but at the same time, was serious about the game. He had tremendous talent and he just played hard and gave it his all every day. He turned out to be successful after being drafted by the Mets and he’s been doing well in the minor leagues.
BPM: After the 2009 season, you decided to transfer to Hofstra University. Describe the feeling of having to sit out the 2010 season with your new team?
Thomas: Sitting out is never something you want to do. It was a decision that I made and felt like I needed to make for my future. It doesn’t feel good just sitting down and watching your team play when you feel like you could be out there trying to give a helping hand or just trying to contribute. But it feels good when they win. Sometimes you just want to be out there and you just have that itch to get out there and be a part of the team and help. But I still tried as well as I could to contribute to wins by getting my teammates riled up and ready for games. I just tried to contribute to the team the best way that I could.
BPM: What was it about Hofstra that made you decide that it was the place that you eventually want to finish your college baseball career?
Thomas: Well, I am a New York kid. I have my family here. I kind of felt like I was missing that part while I was in California. I have known Coach Anderson from the past. I just felt right and knew I would fit well in his program and with his team. I was able to learn a lot from him about his experience of being a hitting instructor in the Kansas City Royals organization. I just felt like it would be a good fit for me being a hitter and being able to learn more from another person who has that extra experience in the higher levels.
BPM: Describe Coach Patrick Anderson and what type of leader he is.
Thomas: I have the upmost respect for Coach Anderson. First of all, he’s a straight forward coach. He’s a stand up guy. He doesn’t lie to you. He tells you what you have to do to play. The one thing I like about him the most is that he cares for you at all times. He’ll be on you about things, but at the same time, he’s doing it just so you can get better, succeed, and possibly make it to the next level. He’s not trying to short-change you out of anything and he’s only looking out for your best interests.
BPM: Having experienced life on the West Coast, are there any differences between New York and California?
Thomas: Yeah, California is a little more laid back. New York is notoriously known as the life that’s always on the go, the fast life. California is much more laid back and its always 75 degrees and sunny. The weather is different as it gets cold out here, but California is a good place to live, because you can be outside in shorts all the time.
BPM: Do you feel more comfortable now that you are close to home?
Thomas: Definitely. I get to see my family. I see people that I know such as friends that I left when I went to San Diego. This is definitely my comfort zone.
BPM: You were selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 45th round of the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft out of high school. Did you have any intentions of playing professionally right away or did you know that you wanted to go to college?
Thomas: Unless I was going to get drafted high, I knew that I wanted to go to college. I felt like I needed to in order to learn and to mature a little bit with my game. I also want to keep developing my game to the point where I feel like I’m ready to compete at a higher level like the minor leagues and to try to make it up to the ultimate goal, which is the big leagues.
BPM: So, is it fair to say that right now, your main goal is to play in the big leagues?
Thomas: Definitely. That’s been my goal ever since I started to think about going to college. Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a Major League Baseball player, so that’s definitely my long term goal.
BPM: Who would you say are your biggest role models?
Thomas: My biggest role model has to be my dad. He’s been there with me through everything. He brought me to 4-5 games a day when
I was a kid. He taught me everything I knew pretty much up until I got to San Diego State. I have to contribute all of my success to him and God, because without them I don’t know where I would be right now.
BPM: It sounds like your father has been a real big influence in your life. What type of impact has he had on your career?
Thomas: The biggest impact that any father could have. He’s taught me things about life, he’s taught me how to be a man, and he’s helped me with my maturity as well, telling me things you have to
do and that you have to listen, open your mind, and things like that. So mostly everything I’ve learned about life and baseball has come from him. He’s been my support. Everything that I do, he’s there for me. His impact is the biggest. I almost have to give all of the credit to him for where I am at right now.
BPM: Any particular coach or teammate that you think helped you become the player that you are today?
Thomas: I want to give some credit to Coach Gwynn and San Diego State, and just my whole San Diego State experience because it taught me a lot. It taught me about failure, what it means to fail, and how to overcome adversity, because I was never used to failing. I learned that in the game of baseball, you are going to fail more than you are going to succeed. It’s trying to put yourself in the best position to succeed as much as possible that’s important. I definitely give credit to coach Gwynn and San Diego State.
BPM: Are there any specific players that you try to model your game after?
Thomas: Well, my favorite baseball player is Albert Pujols. He’s one of the best hitters in the game. He’s going to go down as one of the best of course. I’ve just tried to study and learn from how he is so successful and what he does to make himself so successful. I’ve analyzed it, I have talked about him with Coach Anderson, and I’d love to be the hitter that he is or be my own version and be as successful as he is, because baseball is a game where pretty much the successful people do a lot of the same things. So, my role model in baseball is definitely Albert Pujols.
BPM: What is your greatest baseball memory?
Thomas: In Cooperstown, we were playing in a game when I was about twelve years old. We were in the late innings of the game and I hadn’t hit any homeruns yet and I was real pumped up about the whole tournament. We went into extra innings and then I hit a homerun to put us over the top and get a win for our team. It was just a special moment because I helped our team get over the hump. We were young, and my dad and I were really excited, so I remember sharing that moment with him and it was a good moment.
BPM: What the biggest difference between the T.J. Thomas of three seasons ago and the T.J. Thomas of the present day?
Thomas: Maturity, definitely maturity. I’ve grown in my game. I have a much better understanding. I’m not as hard headed. I listen and try to learn now instead of thinking that I know everything already. It was something I had to get over but I definitely gained a lot over the past few years in just maturity and being able to open my mind to different ideas.
BPM: What are your expectations for your team this season?
Thomas: I’m expecting good things from us this year. We have a young team. We had a young team last year, but we brought in some junior college kids. The freshmen are now sophomores and have experience, so I’m just going to come in and contribute to what I can to a winning season. I am sure we are going to have a winning season this year, go far in the CAA Conference, and hopefully make it into the NCAA tournament.
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