Mets Invite Tim Tebow to Major League Spring Training

It's the second year in row that the Mets have invited Tebow, who hit .226 in single A last year, to major league spring training.

The Mets have invited Tim Tebow to major league spring training for the second consecutive season, the team announced Friday. Tebow is one of nine minor league players the franchise has invited to train with the big league club.

Tebow, a Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback who took up professional baseball in 2016, hit a combined .226 last season as he spent time with New York's single-A and high-A affiliates. He hit eight home runs in the 126 games he played and had a disappointing .912 fielding percentage.

The 30-year-old participated in spring training with the major league club last year and struggled mightily both at the plate and in the field, but his presence drew raucous crowds and demanded significant media attention. 

He was designated to single-A after spring training in 2017 and there are overwhelming odds that he will again be sent to the minors this year. 

Tebow spends the baseball offseason as a college football analyst for ESPN and the SEC Network. He has not played in an NFL game since he appeared in 15 games for the Jets in 2012.