The New York Mets officially have ex-QB turned OF Tim Tebow at camp, and it’s a circus. Here’s what you should know about this…situation.
When ex-NFL quarterback Tim Tebow signed with the New York Mets last September, there was a collective gasp of confusion let out across the entire sports sphere.While it was already kind of absurd that Tebow joined some of the Mets’ top prospects on offseason teams over the last few months, he is now part of the franchise’s major league spring training camp.
Today’s NYC tabloid back pages: pic.twitter.com/B3sbRKbIOZ
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 27, 2017
That’s right, he’s playing right beside top guys like Noah Syndergaard and Yoenis Cespedes. But he hadn’t even picked up a bat, glove or baseball prior to his trip to the fall instructional league since his junior year of high school.
“I don’t think it’s a bigger challenge than I thought,” Tebow said at a press conference today. “Obviously I knew that it was a big challenge — imagine picking up the sport after 12 years of not playing. So I understood it.”
Tebow was widely expected to report to Port St. Lucie a week from today, but he moved that date up, eager to get in work early.
Whenever Tebow is around, especially while he’s a part of such a unique situation, unique happenings will follow right behind. So much so that New York Post Mets beat writer Mike Puma asked Tebow if he was treated fairly by the New York Jets at his press conference.
Just to keep my whole wacky mix of followers happy, here’s a shot of Tim Tebow throwing today, too. pic.twitter.com/0YvQLHC1fl
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 27, 2017
But the former Florida Gators star did show some things for Mets fans to be excited about. According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Tebow finished his batting practice session with nine home runs.
Tebow received time in the outfield with Mets coaches today as well, an area of his game that has looked unrefined so far.
At 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, Tebow is about as big an outfielder as there is in the game, with the exception of the New York Yankees‘ legal giant in the 6-foot-7, 275 pound Aaron Judge.
If he has any hope of playing in a major league game before it’s too late, Tebow will need to seriously smooth out his throwing motion even more than when he was in the NFL.