Of all the places Tim Tebow could have gone to, he chose a return to the city that destroyed his NFL career, as the former Heisman trophy winner signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets, in what is one of two things: A publicity stunt or simply a big mistake.
Tebow is 29. He hasn’t played baseball competitively since high school. In between he has been able to win two national championships with Florida, win the Heisman, get drafted into the NFL, bring back the Denver Broncos to the playoffs, get thrown out by the Broncos, join the New York Jets, and see Rex Ryan demolish his NFL career.
Tebow is designated as an outfielder, and will probably try to make his way to Double AA baseball at some point during 2017. To be frank, his chances of ever appearing for the Mets aren’t great. Forget about his ability. It’s his age. Prospects beginning their road when they’re almost 30 don’t usually end up living the dream of appearing in the majors.
While Tebow said this isn’t about money, he has been trying to capitalize on the newly found interest in him and his possible baseball career. Endorsements have never been an issue, but he’s also selling signed baseball memorabilia on his own website. The Mets have probably thought of what Tebow bring to the table as a brand as well.
Until Tebow makes his debut in some minor league and helps small teams set new attendance records, there’s little to report. With major league baseball being the focus and not minor league action, there’s a good chance Tebow, as an athlete, will disappear for a while. However, as someone who seems to be bigger than just his athlete persona, it’s probably not the end of his adventures in trying to play pro sports again.
As for what his career is going to be like? This tweet from Reddit’s college football page probably sums it up best:
Predicting #Tebow‘s baseball career: pic.twitter.com/wB6aYRR1ml
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 8, 2016