Tebow off to a strong start with St. Lucie Mets

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Back in his home state, Tim Tebow had a superb first week with the St. Lucie Mets.

His team couldn’t say the same.

After his first week in St. Lucie, Tebow had experienced more rainouts than wins. The Mets lost their first four games with Tebow on the roster, and dropping the second game of a doubleheader in Fort Myers on Sunday put them at 1-5 since the former Florida Gators star quarterback was promoted to the Florida State League .

The former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback has gotten plenty of attention in his first week in the FSL, as would be expected. But what would have been his first game with St. Lucie was rained out, as was a scheduled Saturday game in Fort Myers.

A look how Tebow has fared this week and this season:

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HIGHLIGHTS: Tebow homered on his first day actually playing with the Mets, connecting in Game 2 of a Wednesday doubleheader against Palm Beach. It was Tebow’s fourth home run of the season. He also made a leaping catch to save a home run at Fort Myers on Friday — though his team then gave up 11 runs in the eighth inning and lost 11-0.

AT THE PLATE: With St. Lucie, Tebow is 6 for 14 (.429) with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored, three walks and three strikeouts.

ON THE SEASON: Counting his time in Columbia, Tebow is 53 for 228 (.232) on the season with 25 RBIs and 72 strikeouts.

IN THE FIELD: Tebow was in the field for four of his six games with St. Lucie, handling seven chances without an error.

BIZARRE: Atlanta’s affiliate in the FSL will welcome Tebow and St. Lucie for a four-game set starting on July 21 — and the dirt Tebow stands upon at the plate can be yours. The Florida Fire Frogs are offering a package where, for $50, fans can be on the field to watch batting practice, get a preferred seat, access to VIP areas, a parking pass and, yes, a commemorative bottle of dirt from the batter’s box.

WHAT’S NEXT: St. Lucie finishes its four-game set in Fort Myers on Monday. The Mets return home starting Tuesday for a three-game series with Charlotte, then are back on the road Friday to start a four-game series just south of Port St. Lucie in Jupiter.

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Mets sign Tim Tebow to a Minor League contract

The New York Mets today announced that the club has signed outfielder Tim Tebow to a minor league contract. Tebow, who turned 29 on August 14, will participate in the Mets Instructional League in Port St. Lucie, FL.

As a quarterback, Tebow won the 2007 Heisman Trophy at the University of Florida. He was a member of the 2006 and 2008 National Championship teams with the Gators. Tebow played for the Broncos and Jets in the NFL from 2010-2012 and was with the Patriots (2013) and Eagles (2015) in pre-season.

As junior at Nease High School (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) in 2005, Tebow batted .448 with four home runs and 25 RBI and was named All-First Coast by The Florida Times-Union. The 6-3, 255-pounder skipped his senior season to enroll early at Florida. Tebow bats and throws lefthanded.

Mets sign Tim Tebow

Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow signed a Minor League deal with the Mets on Thursday. Tebow, 29, will participate in the club's instructional league in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Tebow, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA Baseball are scheduled to participate in a conference call with the media at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Tebow hasn't played competitive baseball since 2005, his junior year at Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Verde, Fla., where he was a three-sport standout, also playing basketball and, of course, football.

Tebow, who led the University of Florida to two national titles and won the 2007 Heisman Trophy, held a workout in Los Angeles for Major League teams on Aug. 30.