Tim Tebow never logged an MLB at-bat, but he registered plenty of memorable baseball moments in his brief career.
Tim Tebow's baseball career came to a close on Wednesday and ended the Heisman Trophy winner's pursuit of reaching the Major Leagues. While Tebow's baseball career ended sooner than he would have hoped, the former Mets prospect still packed plenty of memorable moments into his three-year career.
Tebow retired with 940 Minor League at-bats. He is a career .223 hitter, and he tallied 18 home runs and 107 RBI. All things considered, Tebow has nothing to be ashamed of regarding his time on the diamond. Just like former Heisman winners Kyler Murray and Charlie Ward, Tebow should consider himself a true two-sport athlete.
Let's take a trip down memory lane and look at Tebow's most memorable moments in baseball:
2016: The first home run
Tebow made his first appearance with New York's instructional league in September 2016 prior to a stint in the Arizona Fall League. It didn't take long for Tebow to find success in professional baseball. He launched a homer in his first at-bat by slicing a dinger over the left-field fence. Tebow's throwing motion at Florida was always a bit shaky. But his swing looked sweet from his first day in the batter's box.
2017: Making strides
Tebow failed to clear the fences in 71 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League in 2016 as he posted a meager .538 OPS. But with a full offseason of training, Tebow returned in 2017 with some legitimate power.
The Florida product smacked eight home runs in 126 games, including five dingers for the Mets' Port St. Lucie affiliate before playing for the South Atlantic League's Columbia Fireflies.
Was Tebow a standout player in his first season? Not necessarily. Though he was anything but overmatched in his first full season.
2018: Tebow earns All-Star honors
Tebow showed a steady progression through his first few years in the minors, and he posted his best season with Double-A Binghamton in 2018. Tebow was named an All-Star that season as he posted a career-high .734 OPS, adding six home runs and 14 doubles in 84 games. After the 2018 season, it looked as though Tebow may be able to make the majors after all.
2020: Hot spring start
Tebow struggled mightily in Triple-A Syracuse in 2019 but he got his 2020 started on the right foot. He launched a home run in his first at-bat of Spring Training and set the stage for a potential comeback season. Unfortunately for Tebow, his season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tebow's baseball and football careers now appear to be over.
Is there another sport in store? Perhaps not. But whatever Tebow attempts next, he's likely to find at least a modicum of success based on his brief time in professional baseball.