Written by Jeff Passan at YahooSports.com
News: Tim Tebow homered again Sunday.
Context: That made two in his first three professional games for the Columbia Fireflies.
Bad joke: For his next act, he will turn water into wine.
Caveat: He is 29 years old and playing against kids two-thirds his age in low-A.
Pose question: Tim Tebow is a world-class athlete who has devoted the better part of a year to learning to play baseball. He is a monster at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, and physics dictates that a human being who combines special fast-twitch skills with obscene strength will be able to do things like hit baseballs very far. The question never was whether Tebow would be able to hit for power. It’s: Can he do all the other things that make a baseball player a baseball player?
Answer question: He can’t.
Caveat 2.0: Not yet at least.
Offer hope: Around baseball, there are stories of longshots who, through perseverance, opportunity and skill, made careers for themselves. The New York Mets have every reason to want Tebow to succeed. His popularity is legitimate and immense. On the same day Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, a true franchise player based in New York, went on the disabled list for an unknown period of time, Tebow going yard in a minor league game made for bigger news. Perhaps that’s an indictment on the media, though there’s a strong argument to be made that Tebow, because of his football history and the novelty of his attempt at a baseball career, qualifies as plenty newsworthy. Michael Jordan’s baseball career drew plenty of coverage, and before trying to argue that he was Michael Jordan and this is Tim Tebow, remember: In 2017, Tebow is undoubtedly one of the 10 most recognized athletes in America.
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