Tebow’s personal hitting coach: Don’t doubt him

When Tim Tebow signed with the Mets in September 2016, he seemed like a long shot to even make it past instructional league.

Fast-forward to this week, and Tebow, likely to start in Class AAA, is one step from making the major leagues.

His personal hitting coach, former MLB outfielder Jay Gibbons, is not surprised at all.

“You’re talking about a guy where what we’re trying to do is very difficult to do — nearly impossible. For him to do what he’s done already, to me, is an amazing thing,” Gibbons told The Athletic sports website. “I’m not the guy that’s going to doubt Tim Tebow, with his heart and his drive. I would never doubt that guy.”

Gibbons, who hit .260 with 127 home runs in his nine-year career, began working with Tebow at the end of the 2017 season. He called Tebow’s swing “concerning” when he first saw it, saying he tried to “muscle everything.”

Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, spent last season with Class AA Binghamton, hitting .273 with six home runs and a .734 on-base plus slugging percentage in 84 games.

But Tebow, 31, has taken this baseball thing so seriously that he has flown Gibbons across the country in the offseason so he can hit even during times he’s working for ESPN and SEC Network, according to The Athletic. The two were even spotted by ESPN cameras at the Sugar Bowl with Tebow mimicking a swing.

Gibbons said Tebow’s athleticism and hand speed give him the ability to be a good hitter if he can hone the mechanics.

“Pretty much halfway through the season last year, we just needed to simplify it,” Gibbons said. “We just need to let him use his athletic ability and keep his feet on the ground. For me, when I teach hitting, I want a guy to be grounded. That’s the most important thing. Get into his legs. You see how big he is, so allow him to use his legs instead of being in the air and out in front. Once we got his base better, everything started syncing up with his upper body.”

Tebow is likely to get major league atbats in spring training.

MIKE FITZPATRICK/AP Mets outfielder Tim Tebow, set to start the season in Class AAA, signs autographs at spring training.