Has Tim Tebow Turned a Corner at the Plate or Is This Latest Hot Streak a Mirage?
Tim Tebow is still continuing his quest to become a Major Leaguer, and for those who have not been paying attention, this month has been very good for the 30-year-old.
As noted by @MiLB over on Twitter, Tebow has been on fire for the month of June.
Tebow is currently hitting well over .300 for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies for this month, and he's flashing some power as well, as his slugging percentage is hovering near .500.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
This most recent hot streak has restarted talks about the New York Mets calling up Tebow, with some fans indicating that he would make the Major League team more entertaining to watch.
So, is now the right time for the Mets to promote Tebow?
Well, not really, and that's mainly because even taking into account this recent tear that he's been on, Tebow has still not shown that he will be capable of handling Major League pitching.
Taking a closer look at Tebow's numbers for this month reveals that there are reasons to be skeptical of the idea that he will be able to sustain this hot streak.
Per Baseball Reference, while Tebow has done an excellent job to cut down on his strikeouts, it's worth noting that he's still not drawing walks. A more aggressive approach may be working for Tebow now, but it's hard to imagine this kind of strategy working out for him when Major League pitchers are throwing all kinds of confusing breaking balls at him.
Furthermore, Tebow's batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is also above .400 at the moment, according to Fangraphs, and that number is not sustainable. Once that number regresses to right around .300, which is the average for most baseball players, Tebow's stats are going to take a hit, too.
While it is encouraging to see Tebow make more contact and that could be taken a sign that he's starting to refine his hitting instincts, his inability to draw walks is still a major concern.
For now, Tebow is thriving in Double-A, and he should continue to remain there and refine his approach and maybe one day, he will get that call-up to the Majors.
