Tebow Show hits Mets’ camp

At 29, ex-NFL QB having ‘so much fun’

Last fall, Tim Tebow hit .194 in the Arizona Fall League, which can be looked at in two ways.

For the many who are skeptical that Tebow, at 29, will get very far in his quest to become a major league baseball player, the meagre batting average, along with a good number of strikeouts, strongly suggested that Tebow was indeed over his head.

Then again, the Arizona Fall League is a grouping of top prospects, at least a few of whom have already played a little bit in the majors. So maybe hitting .194 wasn’t all that bad, given how long Tebow went without playing organized baseball. After all, he could have hit .094.

No matter what Tebow did in the Arizona Fall League, the plan all along was for him to report this spring to the New York Mets’ training camp in Port St. Lucie, Florida, continue to work on his hitting and fielding and — surprise — create some more bonus publicity for his club.

Monday, he did all that. He held still one more news conference, took batting practice, shagged flies, did some running drills and got acclimated to the routines of spring training, something he has never experienced. He will be on the minor-league side of the Mets’ complex this spring but could make a cameo appearance or two in an exhibition game.

And why not? The Mets don’t have much of a financial investment in Tebow’s baseball adventure and seem willing to see how far it will go. If nothing else, the powerfully built Tebow is capable of hitting a ball a long way. And because the Mets have become a good team that made it to the World Series in 2015 and have a shot to get back there this season, they can’t be accused of using Tebow as a distraction.

Tebow told reporters Monday that his “ultimate goal” was to simply enjoy what he is now doing on a daily basis.

“I can honestly sit here in front of every one of you and say I’ve had so much fun training, pursuing it, getting hits, striking out, whatever it’s been,” he said.

Tebow also let it be known that he had spent part of the off-season working on his hitting with Daniel Murphy, who hit .347 in 2016 with the Washington Nationals.

Once spring training ends, Tebow is slated to join a lowlevel minor league team for the Mets. Beyond that, who really knows? But six months after holding a public workout in California in the hope some team would sign him, Tebow seems determined to keep going.

Tim Tebow