New York Mets: Tim Tebow sees season end early once again

For the second consecutive year, New York Mets farmhand Tim Tebow has had his season end early due to injury.

After showing tremendous progress in 2018, Tim Tebow opened the 2019 season at AAA. The New York Mets farmhand, and arguably the most famous player in minor league baseball, was now a step away from the majors. With a strong showing in Syracuse, it was not out of the question that Tebow would make his major league debut sometime this season.

Unfortunately, that will not be the case. Not only has Tebow struggled this year, but injuries have once again led to a premature end to the season, as a laceration on his left hand will sideline the outfielder for the rest of the year.

This season was supposed to be Tebow’s coming out party. Before he fractured his hamate bone in his right hand after being hit by a pitch, he showed tremendous improvement in 2018. Tebow produced a solid .273/.336/.399 batting line with 14 doubles and six homers for Binghampton. He was named to the Eastern League All Star team, and was a viable option to get a September callup before his injury.

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Instead, 2019 has been a disaster. In his first taste of AAA, Tebow has looked overmatched. Over the course of his 264 plate appearances, he produced a meager .163/.240/.255 batting line, striking out 98 times. While he did manage to hit ten doubles and four homers, the livelier ball of AAA did not help his offense at all.

Given the disappointment of his 2019 season, it would be easy to understand if Tebow was ready to walk away from the game. Instead, expectations are that the soon to be 32 year old will return to the organization next season, as he continues to pursue his dream of reaching the majors.

While no one is likely to give more effort or show greater determination than Tebow, it is fair to wonder exactly how much of a future he has in the game. The ranks of AAA are filled with former major leaguers, all working to get back to The Show. If he was overmatched in Syracuse, then how could one expect him to produce at the major league level?

Chances are, should Tebow return for his fourth season in professional baseball, he will be back in AAA. At that point, the Mets will be looking for progress, to see if he is showing more capability against these former major league pitchers. Should that actually be the case, Tebow’s debut at Citi Field could still happen.

For now, that seems like a long shot. The one certainty is that it will not happen this season, as the New York Mets most famous farmhand is sidelined for the rest of 2019.