USA TODAY International Edition
Tebow takes field for MLB scouts
At baseball audition, ex- QB shows speed, strength, but some scouts see flaws
Heisman winner shows power, rust in workout
Clutching a baseball bat, LOS ANGELES Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, strolled toward the batter’s box.
“All right, man,” a major league scout called out. “Just another day at the office.”
Tebow grinned, because it was anything but that.
His office Tuesday was Dedeaux Field, the baseball stadium at the University of Southern California. His task was to show he has the skills to play professional baseball, even though he last played as a high school junior. His audience included a large group of media members and, according to Tebow’s agent, scouts from 28 of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams.
As the crowd watched, Tebow, at 29 a decade older than a typical baseball prospect, tightened his grip on the bat.
“If you fail or fall flat on your face, if that’s the worst thing that happens, that’s OK.” Tim Tebow on pursuing his baseball dream
“There were a lot of nerves, a lot of pressure,” he said later.
There were a lot of opinions, too, after the showcase that gave scouts an opportunity to evaluate Tebow’s speed, throwing arm, defensive skills and hitting ability.
“It was a complete waste of time,” said an American League scout, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about his assessment. “It was like watching an actor trying to portray a baseball player.
“He tried. He tried. That’s the best I can say. He is crazy strong and could run well in one direction, but that’s it. He only had one good throw of all his throws.”
A National League scout saw things more favorably.
“Better than I expected, to be honest,” he said of 6- 3, 260pound Tebow. “That’s a big dude, for as fast as he can run. The power was impressive, but I wish he could have translated it maybe a little better ( against live pitching).”
Tebow, who indicated he has given up on playing in the NFL after failing to make a roster in each of the last two seasons, said he thought, overall, things went pretty well.
His agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, said five teams met privately with Tebow afterward.
A group of about 40 scouts and even more media members saw Tebow run the 60- yard dash. Five scouts clocked him between 6.65 seconds and 6.82 seconds — impressive, especially for his size.
Tebow’s camp envisions a major league future as a corner outfielder, and he next put his throwing arm and defensive skills on display.
Drawing ho- hum appraisals, Tebow threw balls to second base, third base and home plate before cleanly fielding about 10 fly balls and chasing down a couple of line drives in the gap.
Next, after a private session in the batting cage, Tebow emerged for batting practice — and enlivened the crowd. On his sixth pitch, he pounded the ball beyond the 365- foot sign in right- center field.
It was just the start, as Tebow launched shots over the scoreboard and above the towering trees beyond the right- field fence. Eight balls left the yard.
“That was big power,” a scout said. “He was mis- hitting the ball out of the park.”
Lastly, Tebow faced live pitching — ex- big- league relievers Chad Smith and David Aardsma. Of the roughly 60 pitches Tebow saw, not one cleared the fences. He hit the top of the fence in left field, sent a ball to the base of the fence and cracked some line drives.
But mostly he looked overmatched, particularly against offspeed pitches.
After the workout, which critics called a publicity stunt, he took a last swing — at detractors.
“This is something I love to do, and I think when you have that mind- set, it lets you be free to just go out there and compete,” he said. “It lets you be free to do what a lot of people think you can’t do.
“When you don’t have that ( fear), it lets you be able to be free to pursue life and what you’re passionate about, not what other people think you should do.” And that wasn’t all. “Regardless of if you fail or fall flat on your face, if that’s the worst thing that happens, that’s OK,” he said.
“When did that become such a bad thing?”
In explaining his decision to pursue a baseball career, Tebow said he agonized over giving it up in high school to focus on becoming a quarterback at Florida.
He said he continued to think about baseball during his NFL career, when he played for the Denver Broncos in 2010 and 2011 and the New York Jets in 2012, before his football career stalled.
In May, when he started working with former major league catcher Chad Moeller on his swing, Tebow put his focus on baseball.
Moeller, a major league catcher from 2000 and 2010, said one of the biggest challenges was Tebow’s work ethic.
“The hardest thing I had was taking his bat away,” said Moeller, who added too much work can be counterproductive.
Later, Tebow looked down at his callused hands with a grin and said, “As you can see by my hands, you know, been swinging the bat a little bit and getting after it.”
Now, he and his agent await firm offers from interested clubs. Minor league seasons wrap up next week, but Tebow could proceed to instructional ball.
A stint in the Arizona Fall League — typically reserved for advanced prospects — could follow, and Tebow said he’d be open to playing winter ball in Latin America.
But those sort of details were less clear than Tebow’s intention: He is swinging for the fences.
“The goal would be to have a career in the big leagues,” he said. “I mean, that’s the goal, right?”