Fansided

Mets assign Tim Tebow to Single-A Columbia Fireflies

ByJoshua Sadlock|
Mar 8, 2017; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Tim Tebow (15) looks on during batting practice prior to the game against the Boston Red Sox at First Data Field. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2017; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Tim Tebow (15) looks on during batting practice prior to the game against the Boston Red Sox at First Data Field. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

If you live in Columbia, SC, get ready to spend your summer nights watching the hottest prospect in baseball — Tim Tebow.

The New York Mets have made their decision. Drum roll please …Tim Tebow … will be starting … the season with the … big-league … affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina. The decision was announced Monday afternoon and will allow Tebow to play for a full-season affiliate in the South Atlantic League.

The Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback went 4-for-17 with the big leaguers, including one two-hit game.

Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson felt that Tebow had played well enough in Spring Training to justify the assignment.

"“Sending him to a full-season club is what we hoped to be able to do,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told Newsday on Monday. “And based on what he’s done in spring training, and his whole body of work since last fall, we feel comfortable with him going to Columbia.”"

Shockingly, the Columbia Fireflies had tweeted a photoshopped image of Tebow in one of their uniforms last August before he had even signed with the Mets.

The Greenville Drive, the Boston Red Sox affiliate in the South Atlantic League, also threw some major shade Tebow’s way.

Props to the Fireflies, however, for firing back with just as much gusto. Nothing better than a little Twitter war between Single-A clubs to highlight just how silly it is that the Tebow hype machine has made its way to an actual professional baseball roster. Tebow is not a legitimate prospect, but he does appear to have made strides since struggling in the Arizona Fall League against some of the best prospects in baseball.

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Whether or not Tebow can sustain his interest in making it as a baseball player while playing in front of a few thousand fans in rural parts of the Southeast remains to be seen. His presence alone, however, could make for a major attendance boost, especially in the SEC-dominated region of the country where he is still a near-deity. Tebow’s journey through the minor leagues begins on April 6 at home against the Augusta GreenJackets. Tickets for the historic event can be purchased here, starting at $5, which gets you a spot on the Bojangles Berm. God bless minor league baseball.

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