Though he only went 4-for-15 (.267) at major league spring training with the Mets, scouts say the former Heisman Trophy winner looked better this spring than he did last year.
But, despite that, it wasn’t enough to earn Tebow a spot in the big leagues and he will start the season in Syracuse with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate.
A big reason for that could be Tebow’s defense, which one scout said still looks like a football player shagging balls in left field. But, that scout did note Tebow’s “gotten a lot better on the offensive side.”
Another scout told The New York Post: “You know what, I was rooting against him at the start three years ago, but I have to say he has improved and just as importantly, he has said all the right things and done the right things. As an extra guy he might be the kind of good because he is not a negative force.”
Eight-time All-Star Robinson Cano, who took Tebow under his wing this spring, has also seen an improvement in the former football star.
“All I see is that he is getting better, better and better, and I think he will get a chance one day,” Cano said. “It’s not going to be an easy road, but the way he works is amazing and he is going to make it work. I love his last two at-bats against lefties, I see real progress.”
In the minors last season, the 31-year-old slashed .273/.336/.399 with six homers and 36 RBIs in 84 games with Double-A Binghamton.
Tebow was even an Eastern League All-Star, but missed the final two months of the year with a broken bone in his right hand.
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