Thomas John Nall (T.J.) is a minor league veteran on the long trail to a major league career. The right-handed pitcher, who has been ripening in the Dodgers farm system for the last seven years, turned on the lights in the Southern League, pitching for the Jacksonville Suns at the beginning of 2006.
Nall recorded 135 strikeouts in 116.2 innings with a credible 3.16 ERA, besting his 2003 career topper at Class A Vero Beach of 3.42 on about the same number of innings out.
An 8th rounder (254th OA) from the 1999 June Draft, Nall pitched the Chicago suburbs for Schaumburg High. He entered the Dodgers farm system in that year, and has never come out, having played just about everywhere but Albuquerque in the former system.
Piching with ERAs in the threes and fours landed him at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2005, where he struggled. His ratings didn’t shine during the Spring, and he was sent back to Jacksonville rather than Las Vegas, a bad sign for a guy heading into his 8th year of farm ball in almost any other farm other than the developmentally-disciplined Dodgers.
Still, he pitched well and put it all together for the Suns. He had a limited call-up in April to the 51s where he only pitched a trio of innings over about the same number of weeks for a 9.00 ERA and was sent back to Jacksonville. His cup-of-coffee Triple-A trip didn't resolve much.
Breaking through the Triple-A whammy has now become Nall’s mission. It might be as easy as getting more time and exposure there. It might be that this is his glass ceiling.
Nall has talent, and can be a competitor if he can locate well. He won’t likely be a star starter, but he has the makings of a good middle reliever with continued focus.
The challenge for the Dodgers coaching staff is to find the barrier at the gates of Cashman Field that causes the rattle in his performance. The Dodgers haven’t dumped him, and from what we can see, he still rates a shot, but time is running out. If T.J. tanks at Triple-A again, he’ll be looking at Indy ball rather than the bullpen at Chavez Ravine as his next stop.
- Brian ROSS
