Be warned, baseball fans: “Tebow Mania” is going to dominate spring training.
Over parts of three minor league seasons with the New York Mets, Tim Tebow has hit just .244 with 14 homers and a .686 OPS. He’s also 31 years old, and never has played above Double-A.
Despite all that, new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen expects the former NFL star will start the season at Triple-A. Furthermore, he believes Tebow, an outfielder, has a shot to make the opening day roster.
God help us all.
Don’t worry: You’re not the only one baffled by this development. Legendary New York radio host Mike Francesa hit the airwaves Tuesday afternoon and tore into the Mets for entertaining the possibility of Tebow making the big league roster.
“Tim Tebow is likely to begin 2019 at Triple-A level for the Mets and the new general manager did not rule out the possibility that he could make the Opening Day major league roster, which is nothing short of an absolute joke, okay? Tim Tebow is 30 years old,” Francesa said on WFAN. “You’re trying to build a winning culture, and you’re going to tell me that you’re going to put Tim Tebow on your major-league roster? Are you kidding me? You want to be a clown or a laughingstock before you even start here?
“I mean, you’re going to tell me you’re going to put this guy, he’s 30 years old, you’re going to put this guy on the major league roster, he’s never even played in Triple-A. … Clown statements like that, we’re not going to take you seriously. … Start Mr. Met in center and be a carnival act!”
Now, we don’t want to completely dismiss the possibility of Tebow making it to Major League Baseball. He’s an incredible athlete whose determination and work ethic really is second to none.
Still, it’s hard to look at this entire situation and think the Mets aren’t prioritizing their wallets over the product on the field.
