Florida Gators legend Tim Tebow turned heads when he decided to take on the tall task of starting a baseball career after his brief NFL tenure ended. Since then, Tebow did what Tebow has always done: he's done the impossible and built himself into an Eastern League All-Star at the Double-A level in just two years.
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Tebow's season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, an affiliate of the New York Mets organization, is likely over after breaking the hamate bone in his right hand. ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report the news over Twitter.
Through 84 minor league games this season as the team's everyday left fielder, Tebow hit .273 with six home runs and 36 RBIs. Tebow's Achilles heel are his strikeout numbers: his 103 strikeouts rank as the 19th most in all of Double-A baseball this season.
The hamate bone, near the base of the wrist on the pinky side of your hand, broke mid-swing during an at-bat against the Trenton Thunder. Tebow's surgery will end his baseball season, and unfortunately for us, the chance that maybe the dysfunctional Mets organization, might call him up to the Triple-A level before the season is over.
Binghamton placed Tebow on the disabled list Sunday, and he will visit a hand specialist in New York City this week.
Tim Tebow in Major League Baseball would be the story of the decade after his exit from professional football.
Tebow, who is being inducted into the Florida Gators' Ring of Honor on October 6, is famous for his days as the Heisman Trophy winner playing quarterback for the Gators.
During a three-year NFL career, Tebow's 2011 season with the Denver Broncos stands high above the rest. Tebow led the Broncos to a 7-4 record as their starter, including an NFL-high five fourth-quarter comebacks that season. The Broncos beat the the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round that year, which was Denver's first playoff appearance and division title since 2005.
Tebow was traded to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick after Denver signed Peyton Manning.
Brief stints with the Jets, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles yielded no on-field success, and Tebow retired from the NFL and joined the SEC Network as an analyst.
His retirement didn't last long, and Tebow turned heads after a workout for MLB teams. The Mets offered Tebow a chance to play in the Mets minor league organization after not playing since high school.
He's earned his spot at Double-A Binghamton.
Now, Tebow's baseball career has gone from a mockery sideshow to a legitimate story of redemption. Tebow turns 31-years-old in August, and he'll return next season with another chance to make a big league run at making an MLB roster before the game passes him by.
Don't expect a hand injury to end Tebow's chase. One of the best role models in professional sports, Tebow deserves the opportunity, and he's earning all the accolades coming his way.
