Tim Tebow continues to be a lighting rod for criticism.
The most famous Christian athlete in the United States was recently dragged into the NFL’s National Anthem controversy for no reason whatsoever.
But now Tebow is back in the news, and the reason why has the liberal sports media furious.
After Tim Tebow’s NFL career petered out, the former Heisman trophy winning quarterback set his sights on an old love: baseball.
Tebow was a promising baseball prospect in high school, but chose to follow his football dreams.
The football door closed, but the baseball door cracked open.
Tebow was widely mocked for pursuing a baseball career at 29 years old. Others even more cynical called the move a publicity stunt.
But Tebow simply put his head down and went to work.
He had a bumpy road in year one, but flashed some power, and was promoted to the New York Mets’ double-A affiliate.
After Tebow’s relatively promising inaugural season, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said he expected Tebow to make it to the majors.
Some wondered if Alderson’s words were simply hot air, but Tebow is inching closer toward making Alderson a prophet.
Tebow suffered a bit of a setback during spring training when he tweaked his ankle after stepping on a sprinkler. But since then, Tebow has proven he belongs. Thus far in June, Tebow is batting .320 and has significantly cut down on the number of strikeouts.
#Mets outfielder Tim Tebow boosts his June slash line to .320/.370/.480 for @RumblePoniesBB. https://t.co/I55AWtuTkPpic.twitter.com/ya6Z7uO6r2
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 24, 2018
If Tebow continues to grow, he could leave the Binghamton Rumble Ponies behind and get one step closer to “the show” by joining the triple-A Las Vegas 51s.
At 30 years old, Tebow is an elder statesman among baseball prospects, but it’s not unprecedented for old rookies to make their major-league debut.
Tebow’s grit is unquestioned, and his plate discipline has improved. He still needs to do a better job of drawing walks, but the wild hacks and strikeouts are dwindling.
Last season, Tebow was put on the Eastern League all-star ballot even though his performance wasn’t quite up to par. Tebow’s presence was a huge marketing boon for the league.
However, this year Tebow is making a better case for himself. He won’t play in the all-star game next month, but he’s proven himself to be a credible baseball player.
That feat is an accomplish in and of itself when considering his 10-year hiatus from the game. Few players have the talent to be two-sport stars, but even fewer can pick up one sport after a decade of absence and still look like they belong.
Tebow’s baseball future is uncertain, but rest assured he will give it his full commitment.
During Tebow’s first year at the single-A level, Columbia Fireflies manager Jose Leger lauded Tebow’s determination and leadership despite being a newcomer.
Tebow’s personality and heart have always rubbed off on his teammates. It’s the reason he won two national championships in college, and led the Denver Broncos to a playoff berth after taking over for an underwhelming Kyle Orion.
Tim Tebow’s journey to the baseball mountaintop is a treacherous longshot, but if anybody has faith, he does.