Baseball has a new Michael Jordan. No, it’s not a player taking over the game or someone with that caliber of athleticism. It’s not a player that can take a team to three championships twice in a career.
Tim Tebow is taking minor league baseball by storm much like Jordan did in 1994. He is a huge sensation from another sport that is trying his hand at America’s greatest past time. But is this more than a publicity stunt?
Tebow is currently hitting .246, a number that would never turn heads, especially at the single-A level of the minor leagues. What sets Tebow apart is that the man hasn’t played in almost a decade, and he is getting better every single day.
In his last six games, despite a slow start at the beginning of the season, he is hitting and astonishing 9-20 with multiple extra base hits. That being said, is it too early to ask if Tebow has a legitimate shot at the Major Leagues?
Yes, and there is a simple answer to the question. Power pays. Baseball is unique in the fact that the team losing in the game can be winning with one swing of the bat.
Teams look for players with the natural power trait and tend to not look as much at the batting average.
If a team is down a few runs towards the end of the game, but have runners base and Tim Tebow is at the plate, that team is in the game, simple as that. Hitting the baseball deep is very important in the game.
Also, coaches know what they are getting with Tebow. He is a winner based on his resume. He was a national champion quarterback in college, he spends almost every second of free time helping his community and his faith drives him in every aspect of his life.
His athleticism is unquestionable. Tebow is arguably one of the greatest athletes in NCAA history and a former Heisman trophy winner. His ability to learn quickly and produce on the field is very noticeable early in the 2017 season.
Tebow needs a lot of work in the field. His footwork has improved, but routes to fly balls have been an issue. A trait that sets Tebow apart is his speed. There are very few players that have the power Tim does combined with upper tier speed.
Whether Tim Tebow is moving up to the AA ranks soon is unknown according to Tebow’s head coach Jose Leger.
“Then there are guys that get taken away really early. It is hard to predict when it happens,” Leger told an ESPN reporter. “A lot depends on what is happening in the level above. Whenever they decide it, he will be ready. He is just working hard, and we are going day by day.”
Regardless of when Tebow moves up the ranks of the minor league system, it seems inevitable. The question then becomes, will it be to sell tickets, or can he actually contribute as a consistent professional player.
At the rate Tebow is figuring out his swing, he is trending in that direction of being a consistent professional player.
