Yahoo News It finally happened: Tim Tebow hits his first spring training home run
It took a little over three seasons, but New York Mets outfielder Tim Tebow has finally adjusted to spring training pitching. Tebow crossed a baseball milestone off his list Tuesday, belting the first spring training home run of his career.
The hit occurred in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. With Alex Wilson on the mound, Tebow worked a 3-2 count. On the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Tebow took Wilson deep to left center for a two-run shot.
At least one Mets fan was pumped about it.
Tim Tebow showing off the power early in Spring Training 💪
(via @_jonvasquez) pic.twitter.com/4rEe300332— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 25, 2020
Though the 32-year-old Tebow has been attending spring training with the Mets since 2017, this was Tebow’s first ever spring training home run. It was actually his first spring training extra-base hit. Prior to Tuesday, all nine of Tebow’s spring training hits had been singles.
Following Tuesday’s game — a 9-6 loss for the Mets — Tebow spoke to reporters about the home run and his recent progress on the field.
Tebow talks about the big bop pic.twitter.com/a7tOl1K2NB
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) February 25, 2020
A lot has happened since Tim Tebow’s spring debut and first home run
While Tebow’s at-bats have been limited each spring, that’s still a long time to go between his first spring training at-bat and his first spring training home run.
A lot has happened over that period, including:
• The Houston Astros winning the World Series and then being outed as massive cheaters
• The dramatic rise and epic collapse of HQ Trivia
• Nelson Cruz adding 117 home runs to his career numbers
• Two “Star Wars” movies have been released. Technically, three have been released if you include “Solo”
• Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Keston Hiura getting drafted, dominating the minor leagues and debuting in the majors
Time is running out for Tim Tebow to make MLB debut
Since turning to baseball, Tebow has struggled to put it all together. He hit just .163/.240/.255 over 264 plate appearances in Triple-A last season. Tebow owns a .223/.299/.338 slash line over three seasons in the minors.
At 32, Tebow is running out of time to make the majors. He’s much older than a traditional prospect, and his performance hasn’t warranted a promotion.
That hasn’t stopped the Mets in previous seasons. Despite Tebow’s struggles, the Mets have moved him up through the minors aggressively.
Now that Tebow sits one level away from the majors, the Mets have to decide what this Tebow experiment is really about. Up until now, the Mets have used Tebow as a cash grab — and a way to boost attendance — for their minor-league affiliates. When major-league wins and losses are on the line, the team may be more hesitant about moving Tebow up a level.
Or not. This is the Mets we’re talking about, after all.
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