Tim Tebow assigned to Arizona Fall League

Tim Tebow will be joining fellow minor leaguers Gavin Cecchini, Matt Oberste, Tomas Nido, David Roseboom, Champ Stuart, and Corey Taylor in the Arizona Fall League. The Mets announced that the NFL-quarterback-turned-outfielder will be playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, a team managed by Mets first base coach Tom Goodwin.

“We want Tim to play in more games to continue developing his skills on the field while facing advanced competition,” Sandy Alderson said.

In an odd coincidence, the Scottsdale Scorpions were the same Arizona Fall League team that NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan played for during his brief retirement from basketball and foray into baseball.

Tebow only appeared in three games thanks to his contract with the SEC Network necessitating his departure from the team on weekends and the fact that the Instructional League ended early thanks to a state of emergency declared by Florida governor Rick Scott due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Matthew, but in those three games he played, he hit .286/.375/.500 with a home run and two walks.

“Working in the instructional league has been a lot of fun and productive,” he said. “We worked hard, and I was able to see a lot of pitches and work on different things. There was great coaching, and I tried to improve every day. I plan to use the Fall League as an opportunity to improve. It's a blessing and a great opportunity.”

The AFL should present a challenge to the 29-year-old and should be a good gauge to see just how far he has come in his baseball development. Many teams send their best prospects to the league for further work, so Tebow should get in a few at-bats against some of the better young pitchers in minor league baseball today.

The arrangement between Tebow, the Mets, and the SEC Network will carry over to the Arizona Fall League, and the developing outfielder is expected to miss Friday and Saturday games while he announces college football games.