Tim Tebow might be a figure of compassion in times of crisis, but he isn’t a baseball player.
That’s according to ESPN senior baseball writer Keith Law, a former major and minor league scout who traveled to Arizona this week to see if Tebow has any business being in the Mets’ minor league system.
His verdict? Well, read for yourself …
Tebow the baseball player is not a baseball player; he’s a washed-up quarterback who has size and nothing else. His swing is long, and he wields the bat like someone who hasn’t played the sport in more than a decade, which he hasn’t. He can’t catch up to 90 mph, which is well below the major league average for a fastball, and was cutting through fastballs in the zone on Wednesday night. He rolled over twice on fastballs, which is something you generally see professional hitters do only on off-speed stuff, and he showed below-average running speed. In left field, his routes look like those of a wide receiver, although he managed to eventually make his way around to a fly ball in left.
In short, there’s absolutely no baseball justification for Tebow to be here.
If Law comes off as a bit harsh — or even vindictive — it’s perhaps understandable. The guy’s a baseball lifer who knows the scarcity of opportunity available for young unknowns chasing the big-league dream. That ain’t Tebow.
That said, if Law wants to roast anybody, it should be the Mets. Tebow might have a hopeless aspiration, but it’s the Mets who brought this strange sideshow to life.
Tim Tebow is 0 for 9 with three strikeouts in Arizona Fall League action. This also happened …
Tim Tebow had a little bit of trouble in the outfield in his Arizona Fall League debut.
[Credit: Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports] pic.twitter.com/Y75fwWg9oM
â ESPN (@espn)
October 11, 2016
