Tim Tebow has come a long way in his baseball career.
Critics thought his tryout would garner zero interest from a big league organization, but that turned out to be false.
People figured he would flame out quickly, but he played well enough to make it onto the minor league all-star ballot.
Now Tebow’s been bumped up to the “High A” classification. For those speculating he would be badly overmatched after being promoted, guess again.
On his first day in the new league, Tim Tebow went yard.
From the Sporting News:
Say this for Tim Tebow: He knows how to make an entrance.
The newly promoted minor-leaguer shined in his debut at high Single-A, homering in his first day of play with the St. Lucie Mets.
According to TCPalm.com, Tebow’s two-run home run to left-center field came on a 92 mph fastball in the second inning of Game 2 of a Florida State League doubleheader loss to the Palm Beach Cardinals.
He hit a home run in his first plate appearance back in April with his previous team, the Columbia Fireflies.
“I don’t know. I honestly felt good the last few weeks in Columbia and just tried to carry it over and put the bat on the ball and hit it hard,” Tebow said. “I was thankful I could get one out tonight.”
An odd bit of trivia, via TCPalm.com, Tebow’s home run Wednesday gives the former college and NFL quarterback more minor-league homers (four) than basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan had (three) in his swing at baseball in the mid-1990s.
In addition to his homer, Tebow had two singles, going 3 for 5 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored Wednesday.
Many remain skeptical about Tebow’s prospects and question the Mets’ move to promote him.
Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson addressed those issues.
From the Washington Post:
“His performance [in the South Atlantic League] justified assignment to a full-season club,” Alderson said. “He went to Columbia. I wouldn’t say he’s excelled there, but I would say what he’s done there, given all the circumstances, justifies the promotion to St. Lucie.”
“I think we’re pleased with his first half of the season,” Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson said on Sunday. “It’s not like he’s tearing up the league, but at the same time, all of the indications are positive in terms of various things that we look at — chase rates and exit velocity. The bottom line is the average isn’t there, but he’s improving.”
It’s far-fetched to expect Tebow to bat .600 every night, but the broader point is his play suggests he’s capable of playing at that level.
Hitting professional pitching is one of the hardest things to do in all of sports. If Tebow didn’t belong at all, his batting average would be hovering around .000.
Instead, he’s going 3 for 5 and cranking homeruns.
For having not played the game in a decade, Tebow’s improvement is intriguing. He certainly has the attention of the Mets, and the general sports audience as a whole.