Former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow held a workout for MLB teams in Los Angeles last week as part of his attempt to pursue a pro baseball career at the age of 29. Tebow showed off a powerful bat and above-average speed in the 60-yard dash, but there were a few areas of needed improvement.
Still, according to Baseball on hityah, it doesn’t seem like he’ll have trouble finding an organization willing to give him a chance.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Matt Szczur, who played football and baseball at Villanova, is not convinced Tebow has what it takes to make it in the big leagues after an 11-year absence from the sport, which he last played his junior year of high school.
“[Tebow]’s a good athlete,” Szczur told the Chicago Tribune‘s Mark Gonzales. “The biggest thing is hitting the baseball in the game. Anyone can hit 400-foot home runs in batting practice. That’s the most difficult part of playing baseball, the variable of the pitcher with (fastballs), sinkers, sliders, cut fastballs and change-ups. That’s what makes it hard.”
“And being away from the game that long? What’s it take on average for a player to make it to the big leagues? Four years? Five years?
“And that’s if you ever make it to the big leagues. So if he makes it to the big leagues at 34, 35? Then what?”
Szczur is just being honest. Tebow is attempting to pursue a pro baseball career later than most. Most MLB players get drafted out of high school or college and make their way up through the minor leagues before finally getting called up.
Tebow, however, is highly motivated to make his dream of playing pro baseball a reality.
“This isn’t about publicity,” Tebow told reporters after his workout last week, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick. “It’s definitely not about money. I took a pay cut to do this. For me, you pursue what you love regardless of what else happens. If you fail or fall flat on your face, and that’s the worst thing that can happen, it’s OK. When did pursuing what you love become such a bad thing? I’ll make all the sacrifices to be the best I can.”
They said Tebow would never make it to the NFL, so don’t count him out just yet.
