The Tim Tebow Arizona Fall League Disconnect

In case you missed it, and how could you, Tim Tebow played his first ever Arizona Fall League game for the Scottsdale Scorpions.  First, Tebow made headlines for just starting and batting seventh in the game.  Next, there was a buzz over what could be considered an impressive batting practice display:

Then he made headlines for face-planting while going all out trying to catch a flyball:

Lastly, he made headlines for praying over a fan seeking an autograph who had a seizure.  Boy did that spark controversy.  Some people called it a miracle.  Others will point out that most seizures do not last more than 90 seconds, and that, in fact, Tebow did nothing.  The latter crowd will point out how this only serves to further prove that Tebow is a distraction from what is actually happening in the Arizona Fall League.

And you know what?  They’re right.

If you are a Mets fan, you should be more interested in how Gavin Cecchini performed.  As you may already know, Cecchini is the Mets top major league ready middle infield prospect.  Depending on what happens with Neil Walker this offseason, Cecchini could very well find himself in the second base mix for next season.  Out of all the Mets prospects, his performance in the Arizona Fall League is the most important.  However, outside of a few well regarded minor league websites, you will not find much information on Cecchini’s outstanding 2-3 performance with three RBIs leading his team to victory.

There were also outstanding performances by potential future closer Corey Taylor, who outside of those who closely follow the Mets minor league system, most Mets fans don’t know much about him.

That’s also the point why Tebow’s detractors are wrong.

Look, Tebow is going to be a media circus no matter what he does.  If he played ping pong, he’d get more attention and marketing deals that Forrest Gump ever did.  Instead of football or ping pong, Tebow is playing baseball, and he is getting attention for his actions both on and off the field.

If most are being honest, they wouldn’t know when Arizona Fall League Games are being played or what the results of those games would be.  It is the main reason why the games are not carried on the MLB Network.  Another reason is most fans are consumed with postseason baseball, which is more than understandable.  If not for Tebow, there is a large group of some really terrific and hardcore baseball fans who wouldn’t even know the Arizona Fall League baseball games were beginning.  However, now with Tebow playing, everyone knows.  That’s a good thing because it allows a fan to check not just what Tebow did, but also what other players did in the game like Cecchini and Taylor.

More importantly, Tebow is benign.  Every team in baseball was sending a team of scouts and front office personnel to attend the Arizona Fall League.  They are not sending any more or any less because Tebow is there.  Teams have a vested interest in the Arizona Fall League because they not only want to see how their own prospects fare against the supposed other top prospects in the game, but it also allows them to see how the other top prospects up close.  You get to see how hard they work, and you get a better sense of what areas of the game they may need to improve.  You can also get a sense of how a particular player could fit into your organization.

So overall, Tebow dominated the headlines like he did in college and the NFL.  Like college and the NFL, Tebow brought more eyes to the game than would have been there in the first place.  Like his time in college and the NFL, professional scouts and front office personnel were not distracted by his performance.  Rather, they were still able to see what was happening with the prospects they believed had a brighter future as a professional player.

At the end of the day, whether or not Tebow had any impact on the man’s health or in the major leagues is still a mystery.  Depending upon your point of view, you probably already have a strong opinion on that in either direction.  Regardless of your point of view, you have to admit that Tebow drew your interest to the Arizona Fall League more than you would have had in any other season.  With Tebow drawing more interest to the sport that is a good thing no matter what your opinion is of him.

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