Tebow expected to make Port St. Lucie debut Wednesday

Tuesday's game rained out

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – It was supposed to be Tebow Tuesday. Instead, it becomes a two-for-Tim.

Tim Tebow was scheduled to make his debut for the Mets Florida State League team on Tuesday. He was going to be in the lineup, batting eighth and playing left field, before the game was rained out.

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So Wednesday, fans will have the chance to watch the former Florida Gator play two games as part of a double header.

Tebow gained promotion from the Mets low Class-A team in Columbia, South Carolina despite a .222 batting average and committing seven errors in 44 games in the outfield.

Tebow has been a smash hit with fans the past three months in the South Atlantic League. The Fireflies are second in the league with an average attendance of 5,230 before Sunday, and Tebow's presence has led to sellouts and big crowds at nearly every road stop.

Tebow got a loud ovation when he came to the plate for the first time Sunday with the bases loaded in the first inning. He then hit a hot shot right at the first baseman to end the inning.

He is happy to be headed back to the Sunshine State, where he still has family, friends and many, many supporters in Gator colors.

"I obviously love Florida so this is nice," he said with a grin. "But the goal and focus is improving as a baseball player."

Tebow's first pro baseball stop had a storybook start with a home run in his first at-bat. He added another homer three games later, but he has been mostly inconsistent at the plate.

That's baseball, Tebow said. He went 0-for-3 during Saturday's win over Kannapolis, but drove in two runs.

"I know that my progress has led me to having three good at-bats, to bring in two guys," he said. "As an athlete you can't worry about those things. You have to focus on, 'Am I seeing the pitches? What am I doing with them? Am I doing damage with them?'"

Tebow certainly looked comfortable in the Fireflies' clubhouse, despite being a decade older than several of his teammates.

"We've said he's just one of 25 guys," Columbia president John Katz said. "At the end of the day, he really is. He wants to succeed. He puts in the work and hopefully, he'll have continued success at a higher level."