‘Good chance’ Tim Tebow will play Class A baseball in South Carolina

The possibility of Tim Tebow becoming a Columbia Firefly is looking bright, according to the minor league team’s staff.

The Heisman trophy winner for the Florida Gators and former NFL football player was signed by the New York Mets for $100,000 in 2016 after not having played baseball since graduating high school in 2006. After completing the franchises fall instructional league and playing in the Arizona Fall League, Columbia Fireflies President John Katz said there is a good chance Tebow will play in Columbia, S.C., on Opening Day.

“Odds are pretty well in our favor that this could be the natural starting point, and depending on how he does here, he could progress up the chain,” said Katz.

Tebow, 29, finished his 19-game Fall League season .194/.296/.242 with two RBIs, three doubles, eight walks and 20 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances, and his play got mixed reviews from scouts.

Next up is spring training, where he will likely be with a minor league team, said Katz.

The Fireflies are the Mets’ entry-level full season team, which would fit Tebow best, Katz said. A team one level above them in Port St. Lucie, in Tebow’s home state of Florida, is also a possibility as a starting point for Tebow’s baseball career.

“He would have a better time building his confidence against Class A pitching before moving up to a more advanced class in Port St. Lucie,” Katz said.

This story was originally published December 22, 2016 at 11:00 PM with the headline "‘Good chance’ Tim Tebow will play Class A baseball in South Carolina."