Former NFL QB Tim Tebow Makes Minor League Baseball Debut
Tebow's number 15 jersey has already become the top-seller on the Mets website.
— -- Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow took the field again Monday, but this time making his minor-league baseball debut.
The 2007 Heisman trophy winner joined the New York Mets for their three-week instructional league at Tradition Field in Port St Lucie, Florida. It’s a training camp that allows young players to develop their skills within a structured environment, something that will benefit Tebow as someone who hasn’t played organized baseball since his junior year in high school.
Typically, a minor league camp wouldn't garner the attention of reporters and news helicopters, but fans and media flocked to day one of the athlete's endeavor with the Mets organization. The Mets signed Tebow to a minor league contract earlier this month, according to ESPN.
"The goal is to one day play in the bigs," Tebow said of the major league at a press conference Monday. "It was definitely a dream of mine when I was a kid."
Tebow sported his old college number 15 as he took batting practice, fielded and played catch during the first practice among 57 young prospect players. Tebow, 29, was the oldest on the field by four years and two of his fellow Mets hopefuls were just 17.
While hundreds showed up to cheer on the unheralded minor-leaguer in person, others showed support for Tebow online where his jersey sales quickly rose to the number one top-seller on the Mets' website.
The former Denver Bronco's first round NFL draft pick made one thing clear after practice in a news conference; that he would not be fielding calls to any NFL teams in need of a quarterback.
"I'm part of the Mets family," he said. "For me, success is going to be defined by giving it everything I have and being the best I can be."
The instructional league runs through October. Tebow will play in the league four days per week in order to continue his job as a football analyst with the SEC Network.