By: Burke De Boer Sports Editor
Tim Tebow is a hero. After 11 years without playing baseball, he signed a contract with the New York Mets and went to their minor leagues. He hit a homerun off the first pitch of his first at bat. When a fan had a seizure he prayed over the man until paramedics arrived.
Tim Tebow is a joke. The Mets joined the publicity circus and gave him a contract despite the fact that he hadn’t played in 11 years. After joining the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, it took 15 at bats before he finally got a hit.
Tebow has been a divisive player since his college football days, and his recent foray into minor league baseball is no exception.
Baseball should be a better fit for a southpaw like Tebow. There are no left-handed quarterbacks in the NFL today. Being left-handed in football has no particular advantage, but in baseball the difference is significant. A lefty hitter gets a clean view of a righty’s pitch and a clean run at first base. When Pro Baseball Insider crunched the numbers, they found left handed hitters pull a batting average of .270, seven above the average for right handed hitters of .263.
Despite these advantages, Tebow’s not having a great time in Scottsdale. He’s hitting 2-for-20 on the season.
The man is no Bo Jackson. He might adjust and make good for the Mets. But seeing as he started this new career only in September, it’s too soon to tell. He needs to adjust fast though, before the Mets start seeing his spot in the organization the way the Patriots and Eagles came to see his spot on their practice squads: expendable.
Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu
