Many considered the New York Mets decision to sign Tim Tebow in 2017 as something of a marketing stunt, but two seasons of steady progress from the former Heisman Trophy winner now have him on the doorstep of the major leagues, with a call up expected sometime this year.
Tebow had made a good impression in Double-A ball last season — earning his way into the All-Star Game — before suffering a season-ending injury. As the Fansided blog Rising Apple reported, there was a good chance that Tebow could have made his MLB debut at the end of the last season with the Mets far out of the playoff race and looking for ways to attract fans in September.
Now, it appears that 2019 will be the year Tebow finally sees the majors. As the report noted, the Mets are again expected to finish out of contention in the NL East again this season, which could pave the way for his debut.
“If by some miracle the Mets are competing late into the year, there’s still an opportunity to give Tebow a shot at playing in a big league game,” the report noted. “There are garbage innings aplenty during the final month of the season. Until they’re complexly out of the race or have clinched a playoff berth, there’s always the chance to see Tebow play in a 25-4 loss.”
The team’s new minor league configuration could also favor a call-up for Tim Tebow should injuries strike. The team’s Triple-A affiliate will be in Syracuse this year, a much shorter trek to New York than its previous home in Las Vegas. With Tebow starting the year with the Syracuse affiliate, he could be on tap for a quick call-up to the majors if the Mets should deal with some injuries to the outfield at any point in the season.
Tim Tebow has already shown he is committed to the Mets, and to playing baseball. As CBS News reported, his former coach, Steve Spurrier, offered Tebow a spot on the Orlando Apollos, the new Alliance of American Football franchise that Spurrier coaches. Tebow rejected the offer, deciding to stick with the Mets despite the chance to become a starting quarterback again after five seasons in the NFL.
Tim Tebow is all in on the Mets https://t.co/V9u6aq7sBb
— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) February 12, 2019
As Spurrier said on PFT Live , he doesn’t blame Tim Tebow for sticking with a chance to play on the Major Leagues this season for the New York Mets.