Yahoo Finance Tim Tebow among the Mets' first spring training cuts
Tim Tebow won’t begin the 2020 season as a member of the New York Mets. The quarterback turned outfielder was among the team’s first roster cuts Friday. He — along with 10 other players — were assigned to the team’s minor-league camp.
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Tebow, 32, didn’t do enough to impress the team in his limited time this spring. He went just 2-for-13 over 10 games. One of those hits, however, was Tebow’s first spring training home run. That wasn’t enough to buy him more time in major-league camp.
Tim Tebow will start 2020 in the minors
The move shouldn’t come as a surprise. Tebow has struggled since joining the Mets. In three seasons in the minors, Tebow has a .223/.299/.338 slash line. Despite those numbers, Tebow has been promoted through the Mets’ system. He spent all of 2019 at Triple A, but was limited to 77 games due to a hand injury.
Is it time for the Tim Tebow experiment to end?
While Tebow is only a step away from the majors, it’s tough to envision him making the Mets on merit. The organization has been content to move Tebow up the ladder in the minors as a way to increase revenue, but the team may draw the line when it comes to using Tebow in a major-league game.
This wouldn’t be an issue if Tebow were a 20-year-old prospect with excellent tools, but that’s not the case. At 32, Tebow is too old to be considered a prospect. When he first joined the Mets, the one tool scouts thought Tebow possessed was power. In his three years in the minors, Tebow has failed to post a slugging percentage above .400. If he was worth putting on a major-league roster, he likely would have reached that level a year or two ago.
What’s next for Tim Tebow?
If Tebow wants to continue his baseball career, the Mets seem content to let him play in the minors. At this point, though, it’s tough to expect Tebow to post strong numbers. If Tebow is going to make the majors in 2020, it’s because the Mets performed poorly and are looking for some publicity at the end of the season. But in a scenario where the games matter, Tebow isn’t likely to get the call.
Given that Tebow has a steady fallback job as a college football analyst, it’s fair to wonder how much longer he’s willing to ride the bus at Triple A.
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