Living the Dream
At 28 years old, former Florida Gators Heisman Trophy winner and Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow decided that he wanted to play professional baseball. Most laughed at the idea.
Until his tryout in front of major league scouts last fall. In that tryout, Tebow showed natural ability and some power in his swing – crushing balls over the fence. Although his tryout received mixed reviews, the New York Mets decided to take a chance.
The Allure
The Mets were brave to take the chance. Tebow has the baseball background, having played in high school. But that was 12 years ago. When was the last time someone took that much time off and still had what it takes?
The Mets didn’t worry about it.
They knew going in that he would not be a pro overnight, but were willing to give him a chance. Of course, there was also some monetary motives in that decision.
Think about it, bringing in a Florida celebrity athlete and putting him in an orange and blue jersey with the number 15 on the back? The added attendance and merchandise sales alone could make the experiment worth it for one spring.
How’s He Doing?
Looking at the numbers you would think that the experiment is failing.
Tebow has only played in six games with the Columbia Fireflies so far this season. And because of the late start last year, he only played in 19 games for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League.
Twenty-five games should not define the player. Especially after a 12-year hiatus.
With Scottsdale, Tebow went 12-for-62, giving him a .194 average over those 19 games. The silver lining to those numbers is that three of the 12 hits were doubles. If you look at the statistics from his time in the AFL, one thing sticks out – 20 strikeouts. Roughly one out of every three at bats ended in a K. That has to improve!
This year, designated to the Columbia Fireflies (Single-A Full Season), Tebow started out with a bang…literally!
Meanwhile in Columbia…@TimTebow goes oppo for a two-run homer in his first @MiLB at-bat for the @colafireflies! #Mets pic.twitter.com/rIYAQKa8bR
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 7, 2017
So far this year, Tebow has played in six games and is batting .174. He only has four hits, but two of those were over the fence. That is something straight out of a feel-good movie.
But on the other hand, nine out of his 23 at-bats have ended in strikeouts. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Plenty of big league hitters have a high strikeout percentage.
In Barry Bonds’ first season, 1986, he had 102 strikeouts and only 92 hits in the 112 games played, and look at what he ended up doing with his career. Of course, many would argue that it wasn’t “by natural means.”
What Next?
Tebow needs time to work on his game, and the Mets need to be willing to allow him that time. He has the ability and the will to push himself. The biggest thing going against him now is unfortunately, his age. The average age of the Columbia Fireflies without Tebow is 22 years old. Tebow is pushing 30 as a rookie.
So the question lies as to what will come first, being called up to the bigs, or being too old to play? To be cliche, only time will tell.
