Tim Tebow says he's focused on the next day, not the next promotion

PORT ST. LUCIE — Tim Tebow is ready for the next step in his baseball career, but still realizes he’s a long way from the big leagues.

In fact, he won’t allow himself to think or dream that far ahead.

“It’s not something I focus on. It’s not something I think about,” Tebow said before batting practice with the St. Lucie Mets on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s a great question because that would be a great headline. But it’s not something I focus on. Although you root for the Mets and I’ll watch their games and got to be friends with a lot of guys on their team, I’m playing for the St. Lucie Mets right now and that’s where my focus has to be.”

The former Heisman Trophy winner was promoted to St. Lucie on Sunday and was set to play his first game on Tuesday against the Palm Beach Cardinals until the game was postponed because of a storm. He now will make his debut during a doubleheader Wednesday. 

“I think it feels good. I’m thankful for the opportunity,” Tebow said. “It’s always good to be in Florida. It’s close to home and playing with a lot of guys I played in spring with. Looking forward to this opportunity starting tonight and just try to make the most of it. Also understanding I have a long way to go and just try to get a little better every day and keep working on the process.”

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Tebow was a major draw at the box office for the Columbia Fireflies — and the rest of the South Atlantic League — and should have a similar impact in Florida.

Within 18 hours of Tebow’s promotion announcement, the St. Lucie Mets sold approximately 500 tickets online and the club had more than 35 media requests for Tuesday’s news conference and game. Because of the postponement, fans were free to exchange their Tuesday tickets for tickets to Wednesday's doubleheader.

On the field, Tebow hit .220 with a .311 on-base percentage and .340 slugging percentage with three home runs, 23 RBIs and 69 strikeouts with the Columbia Fireflies.

Things could be even tougher for Tebow in the Florida State League, which is known as a pitcher’s league.

"I think there will be the same challenges just slightly magnified,” Tebow said. “Continuing to work on things I’m working on, try to improve every single day and I think pitching will be slightly better. Continue to try to adjust and get better every day and remember it’s not just about the result of each day; it's about the improvement and continuing to focus on that."

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The 29-year-old maintained that he’s only going to focus on each day and working on what he needs to do to improve. He’s said he’s better at identifying pitches and getting a good jump on the base paths, but admits he still has a long way to go.

But what else was there to expect from the football player who signed a minor league contract with the Mets less than 10 months ago?

"It's been a little bit of a whirlwind in less than a year of doing this and playing baseball,” Tebow said. “At the same time, I’m not really someone who stops to think about the what-ifs or what happened. I'm someone who really tries to compartmentalize everything and focus on the task at hand and the day to day.

"It's kind of just to focus on the next thing."

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Tuesday game postponed

Tuesday’s game between the St. Lucie Mets and Palm Beach Cardinals at First Data Field was postponed because of storms and unplayable field conditions.

The teams will play a doubleheader Wednesday starting at 4 p.m. Both games are set for seven innings. There will be a 30-minute break in between games. Gates open at 3 p.m.

Fans with tickets to Tuesday’s game can exchange those for tickets to both of Wednesday’s games. Tim Tebow is expected to make his St. Lucie Mets debut.

For more information or tickets, stop by the First Data Field box office starting at 10 a.m., call 772-871-2115 or visit www.stluciemets.com.