A day after an MLB general manager indicated that a team has nothing to lose in signing former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow to a minor league contract, the GM’s division-rival New York Mets heeded his advice and did just that.
Advertisement
The New York Mets signed Tim Tebow to a minor league deal, but the former Heisman Trophy victor will still stay on board as an analyst for the SEC Network. The team will send Tebow to the Mets Instructional League in Port St. Lucie, Florida, NBC New York reported. A former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos, Tebow struggled with his accuracy in the National Football League, completing just 48 percent of his throws in 35 career games.
Tebow hasn’t played baseball regularly since his junior year at Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida, where he hit.494 and was all-county as a senior.
The process begins 10 days from now, when Tebow arrives at the Mets’ Florida training facility and learns how to play professional baseball, in a setting surrounded by 18- and 19-year-old – like Tebow, the rawest of prospects. This is a deal with no downside, if Tebow does not work out then the team really loses nothing while on the other side if he is impressive and shows he can play they win big. Earlier this week, the Atlanta Braves expressed interest in signing Tebow as a player, not a publicity stunt.
Tebow will likely train with the Mets to be a corner outfielder, since he didn’t look comfortable as a center fielder during his workout. Tebow will start in the Mets’ Instructional League, the team says.
Advertisement
The explanations are boring, but Tebow would have been a worthwhile addition to any major league organization, even if he never makes it to the game’s top level. “As Mr. Alderson said, you have to give it a break”. However, Tebow did not perform well against live pitching, displaying a rather frightening continuation of swings and misses, especially at breaking balls. He was with the New England Patriots in 2013 preseason and Philadelphia Eagles in the 2015 preseason.
