Tebow thankful, ready for next opportunity

Tim Tebow’s time in Columbia is over.

New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson announced Sunday afternoon that Tebow would be promoted to Class A-Advanced St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League after the Columbia Fireflies game against Kannapolis. Tebow, in his final game with the Fireflies, went 0-for-2 with a walk and was one deck when the final out was recorded in the Fireflies 2-1 loss on Sunday.

“For all the opportunities I’ve been given by the Mets, I’m very thankful,” Tebow said prior to his final game. “The opportunity to come here and everything the Fireflies have done and the fans’ support. Everybody here in the state of South Carolina has been super-supportive. Everywhere I’ve traveled through the Sally League has been great.

“This next opportunity, I will take it head-on and try to have a lot of fun as well.”

The Tebow experience in Columbia has witnessed several peaks and valleys. It started when the 29-year-old homered in his first professional at-bat and concluded with Sunday’s performance. In between, Tebow played in front of large crowds at home and on the road, and even though his numbers weren’t the best on the team, he made the most of his opportunities.

The Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion while at Florida and former NFL quarterback, Tebow signed with the Mets Sept. 8. Tebow appeared in 64 games and hit .220 with 14 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 23 RBIs.

“You have to take it in stride as the next opportunity,” Tebow said. “Stay focused, work hard and try to improve. Take it head-on. I still have a long way to go, I’m still improving every day, I feel like, and (need to) keep those improvements coming.

“It’s the next opportunity. If anything, you get a little excited about another challenge. Going there, I got to play with a lot of those guys in the spring so that will help.”

His numbers aren’t in line for someone ready for a promotion, but given the age of Tebow, the window of time is smaller than for someone in their late teens or early 20s beginning their professional journey.

Tebow doesn’t focus on the outside chatter. He wants to come to the field each day and be treated as a valued teammate who will work as hard as the next guy.

“You have to focus on ‘Am I seeing the pitches, am I identifying them, what am I doing with them? Am I finding things I can do damage with?’ Tebow said. “As an athlete, you have to compartmentalize everything so you know where you’re at and what you need to do and not just the results or whatever else people are talking about.”

Tebow is the fourth Fireflies player to be promoted to St. Lucie since the All-Star game last week. Pitchers Jordan Humphreys and Merandy Gonzalez and infielder Michael Paez joined St. Lucie last Thursday.

The impact Tebow had on and off the field has been remarkable for a person playing professional baseball for the first time. Fireflies president John Katz has been surrounded by the hoopla from the beginning and wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

“We’ve always said he’s just another of these 25 guys,” Katz said. “But some days, because of his celebrity, he’s not. At the end of the day, he really is. He wants to succeed, he puts in the work. You can see his approach getting better. Hopefully he will have continued success at a higher level.”

His off-the-field contributions have been just as impressive. He continues to handle work with the Tim Tebow Foundation, and that charitable work has continued in Columbia.

“Tim brought an incredible amount of experience and leadership to our clubhouse,” Katz said. “His contributions, both on the field and in our community, have made a tremendous impact on team, the city of Columbia and the entire South Atlantic League.

“I’m a believer. This guy wants to progress; he wants to get better. He has to be challenged; he has to go up to the next level. Hopefully, he will continue to find success.”

This story was originally published June 25, 2017 at 8:33 PM with the headline "Tebow thankful, ready for next opportunity."