Should the Yankees Pursue Tim Tebow?

Signing former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow is a headache the New York Yankees would be better off avoiding, however it has been confirmed they did attend his showcase Tuesday.

Since making headlines by saying he wants to play professional baseball, many people around the majors have had eyes on Tim Tebow. While there are those who are saying he can’t make it, some actually have spoke out to support him. The major question is should the Yankees try and pursue him?

My first reactions to this was, this is crazy. We’ve seen Michael Jordan go from star basketball player to a below average baseball player. Tebow was never even a star at his first sport. He hasn’t played on an NFL team in years.

Another concern is Tebow hasn’t played baseball since he’s in high school, which was over 10 years ago. My doubts aside, many reports from his August 30th showcase were positive.

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Let’s start by talking about his basic tools. He is 6’5 and and weighs 235 pounds so he has above average raw power. He also was a good scrambling QB which means he should also have some good speed.

Tebow is expected to play outfield. If an MLB team does sign him, he probably does possess the pure tools necessary to be a solid MLB player. Some of those natural abilities will transfer to his new sport. The real question is how long he would need to adjust to playing in real game situations.

Jim Bowden of ESPN tweeted recently the skill set of Tebow on a 20-80 scale. He has 55 speed, 40 Arm, 40 Field, 35 Hit, and 55 Power. What this tells me is Tebow could be a 20 home run and 20 stolen base threat if everything goes right, but he is extremely far off from making enough contact to be a viable big league hitter. 

With a 35 hit tool, he wouldn’t even come close to the Mendoza Line, let alone being able to hit his weight.

At the showcase, he took batting practice and showed his power, hitting one ball over 350 feet. This is impressive but it is BP how would he fare against a 95 MPH fastball? Or a 75 mph curveball that breaks down? These are all major questions that are very concerning.

So now to the main idea: should the Yankees pursue Tim Tebow? The obvious answer is no. Although it seems like he has some Major League caliber tools, it isn’t worth it for the Yankees to take on the headache that comes with his celebrity.

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Will another team throw him a minor league contract? Absolutely. There’s very little downside and it will sell tickets for a minor league affiliate. Tebow will probably strike out 40% in A-Ball somewhere in 2017 and then call it a career at some point before the season is out.