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Tim Tebow an Extreme Longshot to Make 2019 Opening Day Roster

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in MLB Baseball

Updated Mar 29, 2020 · 7:25 PM PDT

Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow has become baseball’s most famous minor leaguer since Michael Jordan. Photo by Sports Spectrum (Wikimedia Commons) [CC License]
  • Sportsbooks are offering a prop bet on whether Tim Tebow will  be on an MLB opening day roster
  • Tebow hit .273 for the New York Mets AA affiliate last season
  • Tebow was an NFL QB with the Broncos and Jets from 2010-12

The clock is ticking on Tim Tebow’s Major League Baseball dream. At the age of 31, the former NFL quarterback needs to get to the big leagues sooner rather than later.

With that in mind, sportsbooks are offering a prop bet on the odds of Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, beginning the 2019 MLB season with a big-league ballclub.

Odds on When Tim Tebow Will Make a Major League Roster

When Will Tim Tebow Make a Major League Roster? Odds
 After September 1st +550
Before MLB All-Star Break +3000
Opening Day +10000

Tebow was likely headed for a September 1st call-up to the New York Mets last year until his season ended in late July due to a broken hamate bone in his right wrist.

Opening Day? The Mets Won’t Rule It Out

The Mets’ front office change has not impacted negatively their opinion of Tebow as a big-league prospect. In fact, new Mets GM  Brodie Van Wagenen suggested there was a possibility that Tebow could make the club’s opening-day roster.

Van Wagenen suggested the most likely scenario would see Tebow begin the 2019 campaign with the Syracuse Chiefs, their AAA affiliate.

Tebow Getting Better Every Day

What looked originally like an experiment doomed to fail miserably was on a significant uptick when Tebow was injured.

Tim Tebow 2018 Minor League Stats

Batting Average Home Runs RBI
.273 6 36

When the Mets signed Tebow in 2016, his previous competitive baseball experience was 11 years earlier as a high school junior. The rust was evident when he batted just .194 for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League.

Tebow homered in his first at-bat for the Columbia Fireflies of the class-A South Atlantic League

In 2017, Tebow started the season with the Columbia Fireflies of the class-A South Atlantic League. He was hitting .222 with three home runs when he was promoted to the Port St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State (A) League.

YouTube video

Tebow spent the 2018 season with AA Binghamton and batted .273 with six home runs, a .336 on-base percentage and .399 slugging percentage. The left fielder displayed significant increases in all offensive categories.

He Certainly is Versatile

One thing you have to give Tebow – he’s a multi-tasker. He was just announced as host of the TV series Million Dollar Mile,  a new reality/competition show on CBS being produced by LeBron James.

As an NFL quarterback, Tebow threw a touchdown pass on his first play. He hit a home run in his first at-bat of the Arizona Instructional League.

When Will Tebow Show Up in the Show?

No matter what Van Wagenen says, opening day seems out of the question for a Tebow big-league appearance.

If you want to roll the dice on a longshot, play before the All-Star break, though the smart money will be on after September 1st.

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