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Wednesday, February 17, 2021

New York Mets outfielder Tim Tebow retiring from pro baseball

Tim Tebow is retiring from baseball after five years as a minor leaguer with the New York Mets.

The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner returned to baseball in 2016 for the first time since his junior year of high school and reached Triple-A, encouraged by then-general manager and current team president Sandy Alderson.

Tebow, who works for ESPN’s SEC Network as a football analyst during the offseason, played 77 games at baseball’s highest minor league level in 2019, batting .163 with four home runs. He finishes his career with a .223 average over 287 games.

“I want to thank the Mets, Alderson, the fans and all my teammates for the chance to be a part of such a great organization,” Tebow said in a statement released by the Mets on Wednesday. “I loved every minute of the journey, but at this time I feel called in other directions.

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: February 17, 2021 at 08:51 PM | 48 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: mets, tim tebow

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1. Darren

Posted: February 17, 2021 at 09:37 PM (#6005553)

Bummer.

2. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: February 17, 2021 at 09:54 PM (#6005557)

Extremely youth pastor voice: "You know who else decided to hang 'em up at age 33?

3. caspian88 Posted: February 17, 2021 at 10:34 PM (#6005562)

Tim Tebow was a bad professional baseball player in the universe of professional baseball players, but I'm honestly rather impressed that a man who presumably had not played baseball at any level in more than a decade, and who was dedicating his time to a completely different sport, was able to bat better than .200, with a little bit of power, in professional leagues.

Much like Michael Jordan, I find it more impressive than not that these men were able to step onto a baseball field in their late 20's or early 30's, face live pitching, and not perform so poorly that they'd be an embarrassment as a minor league bench player. Plenty of players go straight from high school or college, where they've dedicated their entire lives to perfecting their baseball skills, and struggle to hit .200 in rookie ball.

4. Infinite Yost (Voxter)

Posted: February 17, 2021 at 10:42 PM (#6005563)

Well, Tebow kept doing it without ever getting better. And is also a hateful bigot. So what-the-hell-ever.

5. SoSH U at work Posted: February 17, 2021 at 10:48 PM (#6005565)

And is also a hateful bigot.

When has Tim Tebow ever expressed such hateful bigotry?

6. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: February 17, 2021 at 10:51 PM (#6005566)

When has Tim Tebow ever expressed such hateful bigotry?

He hasn't. He's been public about his Christianity and pro-life stance. That's it.

7. SoSH U at work Posted: February 17, 2021 at 11:00 PM (#6005569)

He hasn't. He's been public about his Christianity and pro-life stance. That's it.

That's all I've ever heard from him. If he has them, I've never heard of him expressing any anti-gay sentiments.

8. flournoy Posted: February 18, 2021 at 12:55 AM (#6005580)

When you realize the word "I'm" got autocorrected to "is," that sentence makes sense.

9. Cooper Nielson Posted: February 18, 2021 at 02:05 AM (#6005581)

1. Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball?

No.

2. Was he the best player on his team?

Maybe in high school.

3. Was he the best player in baseball (or in the league) at his position?

No.

4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races?

No, unless zero is a number.

5. Was he a good enough player that he could continue to play regularly after passing his prime?

Maybe? He played more regularly after his prime than he played before and during it.

6. Is he the very best player in baseball history who is not in the Hall of Fame?

No.

7. Are most players who have comparable career statistics in the Hall of Fame?

No, though there are some HOF pitchers who have comparable batting stats.

8. Do his numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?

No.

9. Is there evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics?

Yes, some. He kept getting paid to play baseball and was sometimes invited to spring training when his statistics did not suggest such worthiness.

10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame but not in?

No, not even if that position is "college quarterback."

11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close?

None, no, none.

12. How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the other players who played in this many go into the Hall of Fame?

None, none, no.

13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant?

No.

14. What impact did the player have on baseball history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way?

He arguably opened the door wider for famous athletes from other sports to be allowed to play minor-league baseball. No. No. Not really.

15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?

Yes.

Final analysis: Tim Tebow is unlikely to make the Baseball Hall of Fame.

10. manchestermets Posted: February 18, 2021 at 05:45 AM (#6005582)

10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame but not in?

No, not even if that position is "college quarterback."

Who are the better college quarterbacks? For the sake of argument, let's assume that "eligible" implies "played in the majors or in a modern minor league system with a clear path to the majors".

11. Cooper Nielson Posted: February 18, 2021 at 06:11 AM (#6005583)

Who are the better college quarterbacks? For the sake of argument, let's assume that "eligible" implies "played in the majors or in a modern minor league system with a clear path to the majors".

To clarify, I was considering baseball players eligible for the Hall of Fame who also played QB in college. (Tebow is not actually eligible for the HOF, of course.) So Todd Helton would be an obvious one, but I'm sure there are many, many others.

If you're looking for pro baseball players who were better college QBs than Tebow, that's a tougher argument, but John Elway (#2 in Heisman voting his senior year, #1 overall draft pick coming out of college, .896 OPS in one year of pro baseball) would be a candidate. Russell Wilson was awfully good in college, if not quite as heralded as Tebow, and played two seasons in the minors.

Kyler Murray was probably a better college QB than Tebow (peak, not career) and was drafted in the first round of the MLB draft but never played pro baseball.

12. Never Give an Inge (Dave) Posted: February 18, 2021 at 07:32 AM (#6005585)

Adam Dunn was a backup QB at Texas but I doubt that makes him a better QB than Tebow.

13. Never Give an Inge (Dave) Posted: February 18, 2021 at 07:37 AM (#6005586)

Anyway, I really have nothing bad to say about Tebow. He seems like a decent guy and his performance in the minors was impressive given his long time away from the game. Prior to this season I didn’t have a problem with him showing up and competing for a spot. However I think he’s right to retire now.

14. JJ1986 Posted: February 18, 2021 at 07:37 AM (#6005587)

Russell Wilson at Wisconsin was definitely a better year than any year Tebow had.

15. .

Posted: February 18, 2021 at 09:22 AM (#6005602)

And is also a hateful bigot.

They say language is a living thing and that's very true and we see it plain as day in the way the internet-active leftists have denuded those formerly pretty powerful, and at times elegant, words of virtually all meaning. It's beyond unfortunate that the word "bigot" has been commandeered by a tiny faction of people, and completely ruined.

I obviously won't name names but there are a handful of people around here who can properly be seen as moderate, deliberative bellweathers on this topic, and one gets the non-insignificant sense in recent days that even they are beginning to tire of the relentless IAL nonsense. One can only pray that the inevitable turn of the worm will come sooner rather than later.

16. reech Posted: February 18, 2021 at 11:11 AM (#6005632)

Unlike so many other recent Mets departees, Tim Tebow was never accused of being a creepy sex predator, sign stealer, 'roid cheater or all around ass-hat.
He is extremely active in charities and as far as I have heard reported, he never incurred wrath from any of his team-mates.

I am hoping he tries out for the NY Rangers or the Knicks next, because it would be really cool if he hit the Sports Quad-fecta by the time he's 40 !

17. greenback used to say live and let live

Posted: February 18, 2021 at 11:33 AM (#6005641)

Tom Brady was drafted by the Expos. Tom Brady is old.

18. gef, talking mongoose & suburban housewife Posted: February 18, 2021 at 11:36 AM (#6005644)

When has Tim Tebow ever expressed such hateful bigotry?

I'm as anti-religion as anyone this side of ... well, as anyone here, period ... but I have to say I haven't noticed any such thing on Tebow's part. Being insanely overrated as a football player & shamefully exploited as a baseball player for pandering publicity purposes by the Mets is on the overraters & the Mets, not him.

19. Never Give an Inge (Dave) Posted: February 18, 2021 at 11:46 AM (#6005647)

One thing I will say about Tebow is that he never fully committed to baseball. He was doing the football commentating thing, and he hosted some sports-related game show for a bit, all while purportedly trying to make the major leagues. Which was already going to be insanely difficult at his age.

This is just an observation, not a judgment. I can’t say I blame him for hedging his bets and making a nice living — no amount of focus and hard work was likely going to get him to the majors. And the Mets were aware of all the other stuff he was doing — insofar as it helped increase his public profile, they were probably happy for him to do it.

20. Astroenteritis Posted: February 18, 2021 at 12:15 PM (#6005651)

Jack Easterby on line one.

21. McCoy Posted: February 18, 2021 at 12:29 PM (#6005652)

Re 2. Alexander the Great?

22. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: February 18, 2021 at 02:17 PM (#6005675)

One thing I will say about Tebow is that he never fully committed to baseball. He was doing the football commentating thing, and he hosted some sports-related game show for a bit, all while purportedly trying to make the major leagues. Which was already going to be insanely difficult at his age.

This is just an observation, not a judgment. I can’t say I blame him for hedging his bets and making a nice living

You don't think minor league players get jobs in the off season?

23. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: February 18, 2021 at 02:19 PM (#6005676)

Re 2. Alexander the Great?

Very nicely done!

24. bunyon Posted: February 18, 2021 at 02:33 PM (#6005681)

If Tebow could only have made $52K per year, he might have hung on and given it another try in 2021. Alas, we'll never know. What a shame.

25. Never Give an Inge (Dave) Posted: February 18, 2021 at 03:07 PM (#6005686)

You don't think minor league players get jobs in the off season?

Sure, but (a) they do so out of financial necessity (b) none of them have the same 10-year gap in playing time to make up for that Tebow did and (c) they’re younger and theoretically have more time to get to the majors.

26. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: February 18, 2021 at 06:49 PM (#6005717)

Who are the better college quarterbacks? For the sake of argument, let's assume that "eligible" implies "played in the majors or in a modern minor league system with a clear path to the majors".

His .000/.000/.000 minor league line with zero games played is a little thin, but the last athlete drafted by the Montreal Expos who is still active today is Tom Brady.

27. McCoy Posted: February 18, 2021 at 07:18 PM (#6005719)

Dan Marino got drafted by the Royals in the 4th round. It was the same draft where the Royals drafted Elway in the 17th. The royals also drafted Archie Manning previously. By all accounts Marino was a better ballplayer than Elway and people thought he could have become a major leaguer.

They kind of had flip-flopped narratives. Marino was the natural at baseball that had to work at football and Elway was the natural at football and more raw at baseball.

28. The Mighty Quintana Posted: February 18, 2021 at 07:22 PM (#6005720)

Adam Dunn's football line would have to be something like: 8-38 with 3 INTS, 2 Fumbles, and 4 TD passes of over 50 yards.

29. The Yankee Clapper Posted: February 18, 2021 at 07:42 PM (#6005722)

. . . the last athlete drafted by the Montreal Expos who is still active today is Tom Brady.

Ian Desmond, back from his 2020 Covid sabbatical year, says hello while looking forward to the last guaranteed season on his contract, and hoping that a big 2021 somehow gets his $15M 2022 option picked up.

30. The Honorable Ardo Posted: February 18, 2021 at 08:44 PM (#6005733)

How was Kyler Murray viewed as a baseball prospect? Oakland blew a top 10 pick on nothing. Not as bad as the Bucs and Bo Jackson, but getting up there.

Patrick Mahomes' woeful outing for Texas Tech came up before the Super Bowl, though it seemed much more an instance of "I haven't pitched in a long time" than lack of stuff.

31. Cooper Nielson Posted: February 18, 2021 at 11:05 PM (#6005758)

How was Kyler Murray viewed as a baseball prospect? Oakland blew a top 10 pick on nothing. Not as bad as the Bucs and Bo Jackson, but getting up there.

Murray was drafted by the A's the summer before his Heisman (redshirt junior) year. He had only thrown 21 passes as a backup to Baker Mayfield the season before, so he was promising but not a sure thing as a football player.

As I recall, he had expressed great interest in baseball and then almost "reluctantly" turned to the NFL because he was so good at football. Ultimately, yeah, the A's blew a top 10 pick. They gambled and lost, but their odds shifted after the draft.

32. McCoy Posted: February 19, 2021 at 07:37 AM (#6005771)

I recall a lot of people gave him kudos for going with the A's because a)football is dangerous b) he was undersized as a QB and c)unlikely to make it as a pro QB d) baseball is more lucrative.

33. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: February 19, 2021 at 10:07 AM (#6005791)

I recall a lot of people gave him kudos for going with the A's because a)football is dangerous b) he was undersized as a QB and c)unlikely to make it as a pro QB d) baseball is more lucrative

I'd sure as hell rather play the sport where 11 guys aren't getting paid to separate my arms and legs from my body.

34. the Hugh Jorgan returns Posted: February 19, 2021 at 06:58 PM (#6005914)

"You know who else decided to hang 'em up at age 33?

Brian Dozier?

35. vortex of dissipation Posted: February 19, 2021 at 06:59 PM (#6005915)

Jake Locker was taken twice by the Angels in the MLB Draft, in 2006 and 2009.

36. JJ1986 Posted: February 19, 2021 at 07:04 PM (#6005916)

Presumably Locker was a better baseball player than he was a quarterback.

37. Mike A Posted: February 19, 2021 at 07:06 PM (#6005917)

A few other college QBs that played some baseball - Chris Weinke was a 2nd round MLB pick who stalled out in AAA before returning to FSU at 25, winning a Heisman Trophy/National Championship, then going on to a 7-year NFL career.

Heisman winner Jameis Winston never played minor league ball, he did pitch/play OF at FSU. Pitching seemed to be his strength, putting up a 1.94 ERA in 60 IP with a mid-90s fastball and a solid 7.8 K/9. Winston was drafted by the Rangers in the 15th round.

Bottom line is, shockingly, Heisman Trophy winners tend to be ridiculously good athletes.

38. vortex of dissipation Posted: February 19, 2021 at 07:18 PM (#6005919)

Presumably Locker was a better baseball player than he was a quarterback.

In all seriousness, he probably was. He was the Washington state baseball player of the year his senior year in high school.

39. TJ Posted: February 19, 2021 at 08:03 PM (#6005929)

Sports fans here in Michigan of a certain vintage well remember Drew Henson, who was supposed to be the next big thing in both football and baseball coming out of high school. Despite all the hoopla, Henson couldn’t beat out some scrub QB named Tom Brady for the starting QB gig during his first two years (even though UM fans were screaming for Henson to get the job despite Brady being clearly better). Finally getting to start as a junior, Henson played OK but left UM after the Yankees gave him a bajillion dollars, thus earning the Evil Empire the hatred of most every Wolverine football fan. Henson couldn’t make the grade with the Yankees (1-9 in his batting career in the bigs), and stunk just about as badly in his brief NFL career, too.

But Henson did get to play in the majors in two sports, something not many people can say...

40. bunyon Posted: February 19, 2021 at 09:40 PM (#6005942)

I suspect it’s easier to pitch after a layoff than hit. Just a gut feeling command comes back faster than timing.

Tebow also makes me wonder how much athleticism buys at the plate. We’re all amazed he could sit out so long and then hit like he did. But so few try. Do so few try because they can’t or because they’re not interested?

41. Howie Menckel Posted: February 19, 2021 at 10:25 PM (#6005947)

I'd sure as hell rather play the sport where 11 guys aren't getting paid to separate my arms and legs from my body.

I knew a family of seven brothers.

one of the oldest played in the NFL and two others played Division I and coached in NFL.

the middle one preferred golf, for this reason. he made the PGA Tour and even won a tournament while lasting a number of years at that level. one of the next ones also turned pro - at golf.

42. flournoy Posted: February 20, 2021 at 12:45 AM (#6005964)

I suspect it’s easier to pitch after a layoff than hit. Just a gut feeling command comes back faster than timing.

I suspect the opposite. I haven't swung a bat or thrown a baseball in over a decade. Since that time, I've spent an inordinate amount of time throwing other objects, mostly in a coaching capacity, while I haven't done anything approximating swinging a bat. And yet I feel as though I could pick up a bat and get back into the swing of things relatively quickly. I also am pretty sure that if you stuck me on the mound anytime soon, I'd be a three-true-outcomes pitcher - walks, hit batsmen, and home runs. But perhaps that's just because I've had the pleasure of witnessing my throwing ability noticeably deteriorate, and haven't yet had the pleasure of seeing my hitting ability do so.

43. Sweatpants Posted: February 20, 2021 at 03:08 AM (#6005966)

Chad Hutchinson wasn't that good in the NFL or MLB, but he played in both. I forget what order it was. I think he was a mediocre arm with the Cardinals in the late '90s and then got some starts with a weak Cowboys team in the early '00s. He was never considered the best pitcher on his team in the majors, so he was probably a better football player.

44. Cooper Nielson Posted: February 20, 2021 at 08:06 AM (#6005972)

Here's a non-exhaustive list of MLB players who were also college QBs:

Anthony Alford - Southern Mississippi (transferred to Ole Miss but played DB there)
Alvin Dark - LSU (position was RB but he threw 5 TD passes)
Mark DeRosa - Penn
Adam Dunn - Texas
Josh Fields (the first one, with the White Sox) - Oklahoma State
Gabe Gross - Auburn
Todd Helton - Tennessee
Drew Henson - Michigan
Chad Hutchinson - Stanford
Rick Leach - Michigan
Dean Look - Michigan State
Ace Parker - Duke (a passing RB)
Kyle Parker - Clemson
Matt Szczur - Villanova (occasional wildcat QB)
Kevan Smith - Pitt
Seth Smith - Ole Miss (but may not have ever played in a game)
Hoge Workman - Ohio State
Tom Yewcic - Michigan State

By reaching the majors, we can assume they all have better HOF cases than Tebow (though some of them have negative career WAR).

45. gef, talking mongoose & suburban housewife Posted: February 20, 2021 at 12:56 PM (#6005988)

Mike Miley -- LSU

46. vortex of dissipation Posted: February 20, 2021 at 01:25 PM (#6005993)

Hall of Fame quarterback Sammy Baugh was signed as an infielder by the Cardinals in 1938. He never made the majors, but played for Rochester in the International League and Columbus in the American Association, hit only .200 with one home run in 53 games, and decided to concentrate on football.

47. Starring Bradley Scotchman as RMc Posted: February 21, 2021 at 01:05 PM (#6006090)

It's beyond unfortunate that the word "bigot" has been commandeered by a tiny faction of people, and completely ruined.

Also, is it really necessary to call someone a hateful bigot? I mean, is there such a thing as a loving bigot?

Tebow kept doing it without ever getting better.

Nonsense. He wasn't a major leaguer, but he went from being little more than a joke to Double-A All-Star in just a few years. He got exposed in AAA ball (as many players do), but it's still impressive.

MLB players who were also college QBs

And then there's Jim Thorpe, who wasn't a QB exactly (Wiki describes him as "a running back, defensive back, placekicker and punter"), but was easily the best and most important player on the field. (One thing's for sure: he's the only MLB player ever to win the intercollegiate ballroom dancing championship.)

48. McCoy Posted: February 21, 2021 at 03:35 PM (#6006116)

What we think of as a "QB" didn't exist when Thorpe played. Hell, the rules didn't exist to make it happen either.

That's why we have terms like halfback, quarterback, and fullback.

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Wednesday, February 17, 2021

New York Mets outfielder Tim Tebow retiring from pro baseball

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