re: Tebow trying out for MLB per Schefty

So let me get this straight.

A high school baseball coach who hadn't competed in around 10-12 years. Highest he ever he played was Single A.. Who had suffered SEVERAL arm injuries..
Promises his high school team if they won district he would do a tryout..

The scout wasn't even interested in him, but gave him a tryout because of his promise to his team.. He ends up getting to the minors and eventually a major league game.. his ultimate dream. And he was 35 years old.

So Tebow at age 28 still in tremendous athletic shape wants to try to pursue a dream of his.. and people think it's for attention.. No, he's living his life as he wants. He very well could have been an MLB draft pick had he played his senior season of baseball.

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beat writer Rob Bradford that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim wanted to draft the three-sport star out of high school. If Tebow had returned his information card to the Angels, "we were going to take him," said Kotchman, who was scouting for the team at the time. Was Tebow a legitimate Major League Baseball prospect? He didn't play as a senior, but Tebow hit .494 as a junior while leading Nease High School to the final four of the Florida state playoffs, earning all-state honors along the way. "I believe he could have played in the big leagues," said Nease coach Greg "Boo" Mullins, who called Tebow a "six-tool player" and a potential Round 7 to 12 draft pick.

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"He had a strong arm and had a lot of power," said Red Sox Florida scout Stephen Hargett, who worked with Kotchman with the Angels. "He had leverage to his swing. He had some natural loft. He had some good power. He was a good athlete. He had enough arm for that position. He was a left-handed hitter with strength and some size. He stood out. He was bigger and stronger than everybody. ... It was just easy for him. You thought, if this guy dedicated everything to baseball like he did to football, how good could he be?"

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Tebow opted for football because "he just had a bigger fire" for the sport, Mullins explained. One can't help but wonder if he would have found more success on the diamond, where players with unconventional and inartistic mechanics have flourished since the myth of Abner Doubleday was created.

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Again, he probably won't even make a minor league team.. but nothing wrong with him pursuing this as a tryout. He is a gifted athlete.

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I mean, I get ESPN is obsessed with him, but that's not Tebows fault.

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Exactly.


How many guys do the opposite of what Tebow is doing and nobody thinks twice about it? Completely random list off the top of my head: Brandon Wheeden, Chris Winkie, Josh Booty, Drew Henson, Russell Wilson.

And who can forget Shaq Thompson.

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Is Tim on tv bitching that he's not getting a fair chance in the NFL? Is he constantly looking for attention by acting an arse? No he is not. So if the dude wants to spend his money and try a career in baseball, more power to him.

I mean, I get ESPN is obsessed with him, but that's not Tebows fault.

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He doesn't, but he's also treated every subsequent NFL tryout with the expectation he be given an NFL roster spot as a QB. He's turned down offers to change positions, and he's turned down the CFL as a QB.

I like Tebow overall and have zero issue with him trying out to play pro baseball, but I get sick of people acting like he has this incredible burning fire to be a pro athlete when he's passed up opportunities to do so. I think he expects things to be handed to him after how successful his career was in high school/college, and doesn't want to truly fight for it

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but I get sick of people acting like he has this incredible burning fire to be a pro athlete when he's passed up opportunities to do so.

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He's tried TE/H-back for the Pats and they cut him. Hes not an NFL TE. But continue your ridiculous agenda against him.

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Tebow is an elite level athlete, lots of guys give the MLB a shot when other sports fade. He's most likely too old to pick the game back up now but pitchers get converted to hitters late in their career all the time who are basically in the same boat as Tebow and haven't hit since high school

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That's not how baseball works... Not at all. Big difference when you are an elite athlete actually in the MLB. Than some yahoo who thinks just b/c he was good in college football he can play pro ball. When all you do is see 90+ in everything you do daily at work you adjust to doing things better. Also, most of these pitches could crush in high school or college. They Pitch and catch, do routine infield outs etc all day everyday. You are around that for years and you still basically suck.

If Tebow (and it's hard not to like the dude) didn't get drafted out of high school it probably means he doesn't have the stuff. Can he hit BP... Sure. frick, I played in college and I bet I can still hit BP. May not drop bombs, but I could gap it all day long.
Stick me in front of someone who throws 90+ with a wicked change or slider right now and I'll look like a fool and so will he.

The eye/hand coordination that is required to play at the MLB level is a honed skill that takes years to develop. Very few master it at a young age. You actually think he can recognize the spin on a ball when he is hitting? You think he understands when and how to position himself to field balls in the outfield when they come off the bat? Bregs is struggling at the plate right now and he demolished minor league pitching....

Look I think he is a good dude. But it's time to hang em up. Quit being a side show. He was pushed down everyone's throats in the beginning and people hated him for it. Then many came around and said you know what... He really is a good dude. Now he is force feeding himself to the public again. He is about to lose his luster with the majority of the public if he keeps this shite up.

I don't remember him taking a single snap at H Back or TE in a preseason game with the Pats. I remember them running full house sets with him at QB. He also came out this summer and said he's continued to refuse position change requests from NFL teams and explained why.

I don't have an agenda against him, I loved watching him play in college and he's one of the best college QBs I've seen. I just get sick of people acting like he has some otherworldly competitive drive when he won't even go play in the CFL. He seems like a great person and role model overall, just a little entitled.

I'm not sure how many levels of Latin winter leagues there are too, but that may explain the timing. He could work out for a few months and play there over the winter and be better prepared for spring training next year if there's a lower level winter league with Rookie ball level players he could play in

Couldn't make it in the NFL, which sucks. I like the guy, but when was the last time he even played baseball at a competitive level? Now he wants to try out for the hardest professional league in America? Come on, Peter Pan.

Yeah I think Dominican and Venezuela are extremely competitive. I hope someone picks him up just because I'm interested to see how he does

Mexico seems to be pretty low level based on what I've read. And I should clarify about Australia, MILB players went there, not actually guys from the majors, but I imagine anyone in this thread that even knows that winter leagues exist could put that together.

ETA: There are also indy winter leagues here in the states. They are usually pay to play deals that serve as a way for guys to get scouted for the summer indy league seasons.