Maybe Tim Tebow’s attempt at playing professional baseball isn’t a Hail Mary after all.
While Tebow hasn’t played competitive baseball since high school, current Gulf Coast League Red Sox manager and scout Tom Kotchman witnessed a moment not too long ago that gives him reason to believe the former Jets quarterback could play professional baseball.
“The lone time I personally saw Tebow on a baseball field was when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a Gators’ baseball game,” Kotchman said Tuesday over the phone. “He threw the first one and was wild and he immediately asked for the ball back to throw it again.
“He threw an absolute missile down the middle of the plate. That’s just him. That’s the make-up and the competitor he is no matter what he’s doing.”
The moment wasn’t the first time Tebow impressed scouts with his ability on the diamond.
While attending Nease High in Ponte Vedra, Fla., the then-junior drew interest among the Angels’ scouting department while hitting .494 with four home runs. With natural loft in Tebow’s swing coupled with powerful size, Kotchman said the Angels pounced.
“We gave one of his coaches an information card so he could fill it out because you need certain information to get a draft ID number,” Kotchman said of his time as an Angels’ scout.
“We just never got it back. We were thinking about drafting him knowing the make-up and everything just in case football never worked out.”
That day has arrived for the erratic signal-caller.
Tebow, drafted in the first round by the Broncos in 2010, has not taken a regular-season snap since Dec. 30, 2012, with the Jets. His inability to improve his accuracy (career 47.9 percent completion percentage) in subsequent training camps since sealed his fate out of the NFL and possibly into MLB.
According to his agent, Tebow plans to work out for all 30 MLB teams within the next month in the hopes of earning a professional contract. His agent said it’s not a publicity stunt, and Tebow has been working out daily with the intention of following in the footsteps of other quarterbacks who have garnered baseball’s attention, such as Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Browning Nagle.
“You can take all the batting practice you want, but until someone is out there throwing 90 or 100 with sliders, curves and changeups, that’s a lot harder road, especially at an advanced age, than it would be on the mound,” Kotchman said. “He’s a left-hander with size, make-up and competitiveness. That’s what Tim Tebow has before he ever throws a pitch.
“Baseball is a hard game to play at any level, let alone the big leagues. But being left-handed and pitching? You’re going to have a chance.”
Perhaps that’s all Tebow needs.
