Curious case of Tim Tebow and his chances of being called to Mets



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John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

More than two years in the Tim Tebow experience – or is it an experience? – The most remarkable achievement of the player in baseball circles has been to turn a generalized cynicism about his motives into a general appreciation of his commitment.

After all, the former winner of the Heisman Trophy and, now, television star and god of football in the SEC region, has set up two minor league buses in the eastern half of the country for two seasons. .

And even the notoriously hard-flagged scouts of major leagues preface their severe analysis of the player with praise for the person.

"In my mind, he has already won," said a National League scout Tuesday, a few hours after the Mets sent Tebow to their minor league side. "It's incredibly difficult to do what he did. Therefore, if it does not reach the majors, I do not see it as a failure. This is a great example of someone who gets into the battle.

"He's going to continue to do bigger things, maybe he'll be a senator, a governor, or a president, but he has put everything in this file and you do not hear anything excellent about him." from the players, I do not do it. " I do not know why anyone would like to criticize him for that. "

Yes, the time and effort invested by Tebow in baseball greatly changed the perception that he and the Mets were accomplices in a kind of publicity stunt, when Sandy Alderson announced the signing in 2016.

Unfortunately for him, however, all this scrambling among minors has not changed the fact that it's hard to find anyone in baseball who considers him to be good enough to warrant a place in the world. Major league teams – at least in a team. compete for a playoff spot.

And not only because he'll be 32 years old in August – although this is definitely a major strike against Tebow.

No, it's also that, although three evaluators outside the organization of the Mets I spoke to agree that he made subtle improvements to the plate, the lack of baseball skills Tebow's high-profile nonetheless makes him a non-prospect.

"He can only do a lot (to improve)," said a NL official. "It's a really big guy." The shades of the swing, playing in the outfield and running the goals are all difficult for him – his body does not move like a baseball player. "

"Sometimes he makes mistakes and hits the ball hard, he is very strong, with great athletic skill, but when you weigh 260 pounds and you are carved out of granite, you have the opportunity to make adjustments on terrain in different places, fast balls From top to bottom, breaking the balls and moving them away, it is more difficult to make these movements well coordinated.

"It's more a raw guy with a grooved swing in a certain area – he can hit a fastball, a middle, but not much else."

A second scout pointed out that even though Tebow's power could be considered his greatest attribute, it was not the kind of power his own country could give him a chance to become a great player .

"He has a momentum that can hit a fastball," said the scout. "He can drop the bat's head on a deep ground, but even when I saw him hitting the ball hard, I did not see the backspin of the powerful hitters.

"I've seen it hit in a straight line with topspin, which is not what you expect from a powerful hitter. Now, it's possible that it may change with a lot more work, but that's where age comes in. The clock is already starting to run out. "

In addition, the three reviewers pointed out that Tebow's biggest challenge was still ahead of him, noting that he had not yet passed Double-A.

"The biggest difference of talent lies between Triple-A and the big leagues," said one of the scouts. "And it's not even close."

The other scout, a man in his sixties, made the same remark.

"Tebow's statistics in Double-A (.273, .338 based, .736 OPS) were better than I thought," he says, "but you have to consider the dilution of talent in talent the miners now. "The depth of talent is no longer what it was, and the double-A and Triple-A jump to the majors is bigger than ever."

The evaluators claim that Tebow has no other skill that would make him worthy of a mission in a major league. One of them noted that he was "an average runner once he was on the road, but it takes time for him to start."

Another noted that Tebow is "a lower-than-average player who does not catch and throws particularly well", although the scout could not help but notice with a grateful chuckle:

"I saw him dive for a ball in Lakeland the other day and the earth moved when he touched the ground.He gives you everything he has."

With that in mind, Tebow has gained a lot of respect as he prepares for a third minor league season. But the consensus remains that, if he wants to reach the major leagues, it must be because the Mets want to reward him for his efforts, not for his abilities.


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