Tim Tebow could get a summertime promotion from the Mets
If you’ve been wondering how New York Mets farmhand Tim Tebow has been doing lately, I have some good news to share with you: he’s been doing pretty great. In fact, the former pro football player and Heisman Trophy winner has been doing so well that he might even be due for a promotion.
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The New York Post is reporting that the Mets have discussed a promotion for Tebow to a higher level of minor-league ball. And lest you think it’s all about ticket sales and merchandise, his numbers have been decent. Overall, he’s hit .250/.330/.370 in 28 games for the Single-A Columbia Fireflies.
But what really stands out is his performance over his last 16 games. He’s hit .327/.413/.436 with four doubles, one triple, six walks, and 16 strikeouts. Despite the small sample size, that’s a marked improvement from how he was hitting before the hot streak, in the first 12 games of the season: .156/.224/.289 with two home runs, three walks, and 13 strikeouts.
The Post says that the promotion probably won’t happen in the immediate future. It’s most likely to take place after the All-Star Game in mid-July. And that’s reasonable, considering Tebow has only played 28 games with the Fireflies, and his recent performance could just be an extended hot streak. The next two months will give Tebow a chance to either keep hitting well and show how much he’s learned and adjusted, or to regress back to how he was performing in the early going (and last year in the Arizona Fall League).
Just like every promotion and demotion in baseball, nothing is for sure until it happens. Team executives may ultimately decide a player’s fate, but the player himself has the ability to force their hand with how he plays. If Tebow can fight regression and keep hitting well, he’ll earn that promotion, and do some damage to the perception that he’s getting preferential treatment.
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher
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