Tebow is ‘all in’ on baseball
Former NFL quarterback could reach majors this season with the Mets
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — After a morning television segment in advance of the Sugar Bowl last month, Tim Tebow shifted back into prospect mode.
He visited Tulane University to get in some swings in preparation for the season, and then headed back to the stadium for more announcer duties.
Later that night, Tebow could be seen on television inside a suite showcasing his swing to his personal hitting guru, Jay Gibbons.
“That’s how much I’m into this,” Tebow said.
Even the Alliance of American Football and former Florida coach Steve Spurrier couldn’t convince Tebow to give up baseball with the former quarterback saying it wasn’t hard to turn them down.
He’s committed to the Mets and his pursuit of reaching the majors, which is now only one step away from Tebow, slated to begin the year in Class Triple-A.
“I’m all in on baseball. There’s no way could I stop and not give this a chance after everything that I’ve worked for,” Tebow said. “This is what I’m in now, and I’m all in.”
Tebow’s stint with the Mets has always evoked a wide range of emotions with some skeptical, others optimistic and some just entertained, but there’s a different feel to this year as the 31-year-old prepares for his second stint in major league camp.
The former NFL and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback hit .273 with a .734 OPS last year with Double-A Binghamton, a commendable achievement for someone who took a decade off from the sport. He posted a .656 OPS in Class A in 2017 in his first full season in the minors.
Tebow is now slated to start the season with Triple-A Syracuse, and as Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said, Tebow is only one step away from MLB. The Mets have other reserve outfielders ahead of Tebow like Rajai Davis and Gregor Blanco, but it is not out of the question that Tebow plays for the Mets in 2019.
He would have to be added to the 40-man roster, but the expanded rosters in September create an opening. Tebow would also result in a boxoffice rush, which would be a factor in the team’s decision on whether to promote him.
“I’m giving it everything I have every day. In the offseason, I felt really good about the progress I made and the work I put in,” Tebow said. “Focusing on those little things to improve just a little bit every day, and use this spring training to really get a lot better and improve and make strides, because this will be the biggest spring training for me.”
YANKEES: CC Sabathia can envision the perfect ending to his final big league season.
“Right now I’m just focused on trying to win the championship and have a parade at the end of the year,” Sabathia said Saturday. “That would be a great way to top this thing off.”
The 38-year-old left-hander agreed in early November to an $8 million one-year contract and said 2019 will be his last season.
PIRATES: Jameson Taillon will be the opening-day starter on March 28 at Cincinnati, manager Clint Hurdle said Saturday. It will be the first opening-day start of Taillon’s fouryear career.
Taillon was 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA in 32 starts last season.
CARDINALS: Left fielder Marcel Ozuna will be on a limited throwing program to start the spring but is expected to be ready for opening day, manager Mike Shildt said Saturday.
Ozuna underwent offseason shoulder surgery and is still in the rehabilitation process.
BRAVES: Pitchers and catchers had their first organized workout Saturday, officially ending a relatively quiet winter for the team that won the NL East.
It may have been a little too quiet for some critics, considering the aggressive roster moves made by their division rivals. But All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman begs to differ.
“Pretty much everyone came back, and we added Josh Donaldson and B-Mac (Brian McCann),” Freeman said. “I feel we have a 90-win team that got better, so I think we’re going to be very good this year.”
GIANTS: Cameron Maybin is closing in on a minor league contract with the team. He spent 2018 between Miami and Seattle. He batted a combined .249 with four home runs.