Ex-Florida Gators star Tim Tebow takes the field for New York Mets
The world’s most famous person on a minor-league contract took the mic Monday, decked out in full uniform.
Tim Tebow, the Florida Gators quarterback turned failed NFL quarterback turned New York Mets farmhand, officially started his spring training Monday in Port St. Lucie.
"I'm not going to worry about what everyone's writing or what everybody's thinking or however I'm being marketed," Tebow told MLB.com. "I just want to be able to continue the process, enjoy the process, enjoy every day, get to know my teammates and have fun out there."
The former Heisman Trophy winner signed his minor-league deal in September and joined the Mets' instructional league team, making headlines when he hit a home run in his first at-bat.
“I think I learned a lot from first instructs, being my first time back in baseball in 12 years,” Tebow said. “And then I think I learned a lot in the Arizona Fall League.”
Tebow struggled in the Arizona Fall League. Playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, he had a .194 batting average and a .296 on-base percentage while driving in a pair of runs.
Tebow said he learned a lot during the offseason while working with former Major League catcher Chad Moeller, Mets batting coach Kevin Long and Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy.
“For me that’s something that I’m really looking forward to,” Tebow said. “Kind of taking a lot of the practice and the knowledge and the things I’ve learned and try to apply it to practice every day, and then eventually games, then games every day.”
