Should the Mets Call Up Tim Tebow?
Short answer: yes.
Tebow is playing baseball?
As if ESPN and social media hasn’t made you aware, former Hesiman trophy winner, two-time national champion and ex-NFL quarterback Tim Tebow is currently playing professional baseball for the New York Mets’ High-A afiliate, St. Lucie. After spending last year co-hosting the SEC Network’s version of College Gameday, Tebow signed a minor league contract with the Mets citing a desire to fulfill his childhood dream of playing baseball at the highest level.
His short journey in the minors has led to a specticle at each level he has passed through (only 2 so far). Each time he hits a homer, ESPN rewards him with “highlight” on their failing SportsCenter. Last weekend, he took a fastball to the head which in turn awarded him more media attention, more highlights. Record breaking crowds are attending these low-level minor league games thanks to Tim. These rosters are typically reserved for players recently drafted or rehabbing stars, so why all the fuss? Well, as I’m sure you are aware, Tebow has attracted attention in everything he’s done since breaking out as superstar at The University of Florida back in 2007. Ten years later the spotlight remains despite his lack of on-field accomplishments.
Well, how is he doing?
Hah, not that great. Across 109 games in 365 at bats, the 29 year-old Timothy Tebow is slashing a measly .227/.309/.359 with 8 HR and 48 RBI. Not exaclty spectacular, but on the other hand, quite impressive for a former TV analyst and a dude that hasn’t swung the bat against live pitching since the early 2000s. At Advanced-A, he is striking out 23.6% of the time. While this stat may seem normal for typical players at this level, it’s certaininly not a positive trend that will warrant him future promotions. See, Tim is 29 years old, much older than his teammates who are probably par for the course with their development at their age. Tebow needs to be ahead of the curve to continue climbing the ranks of the minor leagues. According to his FanGraphs wRC+ metric of 105, Tebow is performing just slightly above league average. I must admit he has performed significantly better than I would have estimated when this journey started.
Lol, just had to throw this in as a die-hard Alabama fan. Can’t talk about Tebow without reminding the world of his greatest defeat.
Then why are we even discussing this?
Well, becasuse money drives the world. Contrary to public opinion, the New York Mets did not sign Tim Tebow because they desperately needed another outfielder or to beat other teams to his “hidden talent”. The Mets front office saw a pure business opportunity in our humble hero. They saw ticket and jersey sales, which btw are booming. They saw new fans, and what do new fans have? That’s right. Money. New fans have money to buy apparel, tickets and ballpark food. The Mets saw an opportunity to cash in on this previously untapped money-making scheme. They would sign him to a minor league contract and watch/help him fail upward through their organization while their major league roster fails miserably due to injury and mismanagement. Here we are, in mid-August where the contenders and pretenders have mostly been decided. The Mets currently sit 17 games behind the first place Nationals. They have called up uber prospects SS Amed Rosario and 1B Dominic Smith to gain valuable experience to close this garbage season. Why not add Tim Tebow to that list? Why not continue the plan and use Tebow to sell more jerseys and bring more fans to Citi Field, which has been suffering attendance woes as expected for a bleh squad this time of year. There’s certainly more money to be had before season’s end, and now it’s to Mets GM Sandy Alderson to make the next move.
Hmm, can this actually happen?
Before we get too carried away with seeing Tim suit up in Flushing Meadows, let’s take a look at the current roster situation. If you weren’t already aware, Major League Baseball rules allow teams to expand their 25-man roster to their full 40-man squad on September 1st. While this may seem promising, it’s worth mentioning that most teams usually only add 2–4 players during this time. A September call up to the majors would first require Tebow to be played on the official 40-man roster. What’s the harm in that? Well, it could expose a “true” prospect to the next Rule 5 draft where another club could poach him for didly squat. As of the writing of this article, I believe their is at least one expendable player currently on the Met’s 40-man roster that could be sacrificed to help Tebow reach The Show and sell bookoos of jerseys and tickets for management. Jose Reyes. It’s time to release the former face of the franchise and give the people what they want, Tim Tebow. Reyes has had his time in the big leagues and don’t forget his domestic violence history if you were starting to feel sentimental and advocate that this is a poorly constructed solution. Jose Reyes was once a superstar but that shouldn’t protect him from public ridicule for assulting a lady.
While I wouldn’t bet my own money on Tebow receiving a call to the majors, it wouldn’t totally shock me. Alderson has some logistics to figure out first. And I must add that only Tim Tebow can comment on the true reasons he was signed to a contract. Maybe I’m completely wrong and the Mets didn’t acquire him out of greed and to leverage fas, but… I’m probably not wrong. When it’s all said and done, I think the correct call would be to go ahead and promote Tebow to the Bigs and cash in while the gettin is good. Who knows, he may shock the world. It wouldn’t be his first time.
