Did Tim Tebow play in the MLB? Exploring the professional career of the former Gators quarterback
Tim Tebow is best known for being part of an all-conquering Florida Gators team and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2007. But did he also play baseball like some famous multi-faceted football players?
After a dominant college career with the Gators, Tebow was picked No. 25 overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2010 NFL draft but was later traded to the New York Jets after an average first season.
He was released by the Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and finally, the Jacksonville Jaguars, winding down his NFL career in 2021.
Then Tim Tebow made a surprising switch. He decided to take up an old passion, baseball.
Before the 2016 season, Tebow received interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers for his services. He signed his first minor league contract with the New York Mets later that year.
Tebow was seconded to the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League and hit a home run on his first pitch. He played for the organization for four years before retiring in 2021 without ever playing in the MLB.
In 2020, the Philippines, where Tebow was born and was eligible to represent, invited him to play in the World Baseball Classic. However, Tim Tebow never played for the national team since the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the WBC.
Tim Tebow and the Swamp Kings years
Tim Tebow was a key lynchpin for the dominant Florida Gators team under coach Urban Meyer who won the two BCS national championships between 2006-2010. The team is the subject of a Netflix documentary titled "UNTOLD: Swamp Kings."
Tebow spoke about what football fans can expect from the documentary released on Aug. 22:
“I don’t know exactly, I think probably really entertaining. I think of the storyline of what we got to live through. There are just so many highs and lows. But I’m intrigued to see how it all turns out as well.
"I do think people will be entertained. I think it’ll be something that is hopefully intriguing for a lot of people. But when I think back about it, I just am so grateful for the friendships, the mentors, the relationships, the brothers."
Tebow was also at the forefront of a dispute with teammate Brandon Spikes that deeply divided the Gators' dressing room.
Apart from the two national championships, his most significant achievement was an individual accolade. He won the much-coveted Heisman Trophy in 2007.
Tim Tebow's Gators' career ended with a Cotton Bowl win over Cincinnati after an earlier demoralizing SEC championship game loss to Nick Saban's Alabama, who became national champions.