When will Tim Tebow be a part of the New York Mets major league roster? Possibly sooner than anyone would ever think.
Last season, Tim Tebow showed far more than anyone could have expected. The New York Mets farmhand, the most famous minor leaguer in the game, actually showed signs of being a useful cog in their system. There was even speculation that Tebow could find his way to the majors, especially if his solid showing at AA continued. Alas, a broken hamate bone prematurely ended his season, and dashed those hopes.
Even though Tebow was held back by that injury, the Mets still have hope that he will make an impact. In fact, new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen is not ruling out Tebow making the Opening Day roster if he does well enough in the spring.
Tim Tebow is likely to begin 2019 at Triple-A, but new #Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen did not rule out the possibility that he could make the @MLB Opening Day roster. Tebow has fully healed from hamate injury, Van Wagenen said. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 6, 2018
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Of course, one has to wonder how tainted Van Wagenen’s views on Tebow are. After all, prior to becoming the Mets GM, he was Tebow’s agent, looking to market his client in the best way possible. Naturally, he would want to show that Tebow can be a useful player at the major league level.
Even with that view, Tebow actually showed that he could be more than a side show. He caught fire over the final few weeks of his season, ending the year with a .273/.336/.399 batting line, hitting six homers and 14 doubles. Yes, he struck out far more than anyone would like, with 103 strikeouts in 298 plate appearances, but he did not embarrass himself at AA.
Tebow has managed to surprise at every step along his baseball odyssey. For having not played since high school, he has far exceeded expectations. Just looking at how far he has come since his disastrous debut in the Arizona Fall League, as he worked himself into becoming a possible major league option in just two seasons, has been nothing short of remarkable.
The jury is still out on whether or not Tim Tebow can impact the New York Mets at the major league level. For what it is worth, his former agent, and new Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen, is willing to find out.