PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. _ With five plate appearances facing three different Marlins pitchers Thursday, Mets outfield prospect Tim Tebow had a productive day at the plate.
Batting in each of the first five innings, Tebow smacked two hard singles, drew a walk, grounded into a force play and was caught looking at a third strike. He drove in one run and scored twice, though he was also thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on a line single to right field.
As the left fielder for the first four innings, Tebow was not really tested, making a routine catch of one fly ball.
Still in its early stages, the conversion to baseball for the 29-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback would seem to be going better than expected. After two games against opposing teams, Tebow is 3-for-10, including his home run Wednesday, with a walk and a strikeout.
The Mets did not make Tebow nor any of his coaches available to the media Thursday.
The Marlins threw a variety of pitchers at Tebow, starting with 6-3 left-hander Braxton Garrett, the seventh overall pick in the June draft out of a Florence, Alabama, high school. Garrett was facing professional hitters in competition for the first time.
In the first inning, with Mets leadoff hitter Ricardo Cespedes on first base with a single, Tebow remained aggressive. Even with a 3-and-0 count, Tebow swung at the first strike he saw, hitting a grounder to short that was nearly a double play. He beat the relay to first.
Facing the sidewinding Aneury Osoria for his last at-bat, Tebow laced a single.
With Hansel Moreno at bat, Tebow advanced to second on a wild pitch. Moreno then lined a single to shallow right, but right fielder Sean Reynolds' strong, accurate throw nailed a sliding Tebow trying to score.
After working out Friday morning, Tebow leaves for his other job as a television analyst for SEC football. He will resume his baseball career Monday.
