Tim Tebow Is Doing Exactly What He Was Supposed To Do
A while back , when Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow announce he was going make return to his baseball plying days after a decade-plus absence, many sports fan howled with laughter.
They thought there was no way this guy could play baseball at a realistic level. What they didn’t understand is when the New York Mets signed Tebvow to a minor-league contract, it wasn’t about baseball. The Mets’ general manager basically just admitted that to New York Newsday.
Tebow held a showcase that most teams sent scouts to last September. The Mets signed him the following week. However, Alderson said, “The guy we sent to see him in California did not exactly send back a glowing report. I knew immediately he would not want his name as the signing scout.
“Ultimately,’’ he added, “the guy that we put down was the director of merchandising.”
Yeah, I know his tongue is almost sticking through his cheek when he said that, but I also know that’s one of those jokes dripping of truth. Let’s be honest, signing Tim Tebow…still a local hero in in Florida and the Southeast…and assigning him to the low minor leagues in Florida and the Southeast was all about filling up ballparks and selling stuff.
“Look, we signed him because he is a good guy, partly because of his celebrity, partly because this is an entertainment business. My attitude is ‘why not?’ ”
Why not? Exactly. I’ve heard a lot of people belly-aching about this saying ridiculous crap like Tebow is taking up a spot that should be used for a guy who has a “real” shot to make the major leagues. That’s total bullshit, and it misses the point. Sure, the idea of minor-league baseball is to be a stepping stone in the development of major-league talent, but guys with the stuff to get to the “Show” don’t stay in Single-A ball very long. Once you consider how many teams and players there are in the low minor leagues compared to how many actually make it to the bigs, and it quickly becomes apparent Tebow’s presence in the Mets’ organization isn’t taking anything away from anybody.
In fact, I would make the exact opposite argument. With the attention Tebow’s presence brings, there’s a lot of guys getting some indirect exposure they would not otherwise be getting.
Even if you disagree with that, there’s one undeniable fact. A minor league baseball team is like any other business; it has to make money in order to survive. That’s really what the Tebow signing is all about. It took no time at all for sales of Tebow jerseys to surge to near the top, and it’s a pretty safe bet those sales are translating into attendance, which probably has a lot to do with his recent promotion. That’s the only explanation I can think of, because his numbers don’t bear out such a move.
…with regard to his promotion from low Class A Columbia to high Class A St. Lucie despite a .220/.311/.336 slash line and three home runs in 64 games.
I’m also not buying Alderson’s rationale for the move.
“I was searching a little bit for some rational explanation for promoting him,” he said. “Actually, if you look at some of the more esoteric statistics, he actually does pretty well: He doesn’t really chase [pitches outside the strike zone]. Some of the fundamental things you are looking for in your player, aside from athleticism and so forth. He has command of the strike zone, power — those are things he can do.”
Now to be fair, Tebow played quite well in his first three games at St. Lucie. He went 5-for-9 at the plate with a home run and two RBIs against two walks and a single strikeout. But that’s not why he’s there.
While Sandy Alderson mentions all the things Tebow “can do,” he forgot the most important one. He puts butts in the seats. That’s why he’s there.
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It’s for that very same reason that, back in the day, I felt the Jacksonville Jaguars should have at least given him a shot.
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