Tim

Tebow

Tebow recently announced his retirement as a baseball player after a failed (yet respectable under the circumstances) pursuit with the Mets. For the Mets, it was always more about money and the gate attraction than his actual chances of making it to the majors. He’s your problem now, @NBCSEdgeFB.

The Mets again included Tebow among their non-roster invitees to spring training this year, but the former Heisman Trophy winner has apparently decided to end his baseball career. Unsurprisingly, giving baseball a try for the first time since high school proved to be too much for the 33-year-old, as he batted just .223/.299/.338 over parts of three minor league seasons.

There’s a new regime in control in New York, but the stance on Tebow seems to remain the same. The 33-year-old spent the 2019 season at Triple-A Syracuse where he slashed a putrid .163/.240/.255 with four homers, 19 RBI, two swipes and a 98/20 K/BB ratio in 264 plate appearances. He’s not going to crack the big league roster, but should draw some oohs and ahhs as he crushes baseballs over the fence during batting practice in Port St. Lucie.

Tebow was not on the initial list that the Mets released Sunday afternoon, but they do still have 10 open spots to fill. The former NFL quarterback, who turns 33 years old this August, batted just .163/.240/.255 over 264 plate appearances last season for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse.

Cespedes missed the entire 2019 season after requiring multiple surgeries on his right ankle following a wild boar attack on his ranch in Florida. He had already been in recovery from dual heel procedures. But the veteran slugger has been making steady progress during baseball’s COVID-19 shutdown and he could be the Mets’ primary option at DH if he is able to get back to full health. It’ll be something to monitor throughout the team’s spring training 2.0 workouts at Citi Field. Tim Tebow, notably, is absent from the club’s initial player pool.

No word yet on whether Wilson has been released by Detroit. Tebow did pretty well in Double-A in 2018, but he hit just .163/.240/.255 as a 31-year-old in Triple-A last year, making it rather surprising that he opted to continue his baseball career. He’ll likely return to Syracuse this year.

He suffered a severe cut on his left pinky finger on his throwing hand weeks ago and the Mets don’t expect it to heal before the season ends. The 31-year-old outfielder is expected to return for the 2020 season. Before the injury he played 77 games at Triple-A and was not good to put it kindly. He slashed a woeful .163/.240/.255 with four home runs, 19 RBI and 2 stolen bases in 264 plate appearances. Any other 31-year-old with that stat line would be put out to pasture but Tebow sells tickets so he will get another chance.

Tebow collected four hits in 15 at-bats while in spring training with the Mets. The former Heisman winner has come along surprisingly well in his transition from football to baseball. Playing for Double-A Binghamton last summer, Tebow slashed .273/.336/.399 with six homers, 14 doubles and 36 RBI in 84 games played. Those might not be world-beating numbers, but Tebow has done well in his acclimation to this juncture. He is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Syracuse.

In hitting .273/.336/.399 for Double-A Binghamton, Tebow made pretty incredible progress before getting hurt last year, and the Mets might have called him up last September had he stayed healthy. He’s expected to move up to Triple-A Syracuse to begin this season.

Tebow had to be shut down in late July after suffering a broken hamate bone in his right hand, but he’s already pretty much back to full health. Van Wagenen noted that Tebow, who will likely begin the 2019 season at Triple-A Syracuse, is on “a real mission to play in the big leagues next year.”