It was announced publicly that Tim Tebow, yes the former college football star, Heisman Trophy winner, and NFL quarterback, would be trying his hand at baseball, stirring for a career in the Major Leagues just 2 months ago.
As of this weekend, that dream of Tebow’s doesn’t seem too far off.
Tebow held an open workout for MLB scouts in Los Angeles, to which 27 teams came to watch the quarterback hit, field fly balls, and do sprints. Though he did look awkward fielding and hitting against live pitching, Tebow did look in his element running and hitting during batting practice, which included a 430-foot bomb of a home run.
Shortly after, baseball insiders, though considering a signing unlikely, places the Braves as the most likely to make a move for Tebow if any chose to.
Source: Braves are interested in signing Tim Tebow after meeting with him one-on-one. https://t.co/114G4pJMGK
— ESPN (@espn) September 3, 2016
Braves are among teams interested in Tebow. @pedrogomezESPN mentioned 1st
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 2, 2016
This Saturday, a day which Tebow used to monopolize the college football headlines, ESPN’s Pedro Gomez reported that the Braves do in fact have interest in signing former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow to a minor-league deal.
ESPN’s Pedro Gomez reporting that the Atlanta Braves are looking into signing Tim Tebow.
— Rick Nyman (@RickNymanSport) September 3, 2016
The Braves make sense for more than one reason. The team plays in the dead center of SEC country, an already Tebow-admiring pool of sports fans. Those fans would also come to Tebow’s minor league games and buy Tebow’s apparel. The Atlanta Braves are also the one of 30 MLB teams to directly own all of their minor league affiliates, meaning every dollar Tebow generates from ticket sales to jerseys and other merchandise, goes directly into the Atlanta Braves’ pockets. They can then use the likely millions of dollars to spend on their major league players. The Braves are also a team out of the playoff races and struggling in fan attendance and popularity.