Tebow's last week with Fireflies includes some positives
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Tim Tebow's final week with Columbia Fireflies was much like most of the others - a few promising moments interspersed among struggles at the plate.
Tebow had two doubles Thursday in a loss to Kannapolis (N.C.) as the Fireflies opened the second half of the season Thursday night. He then he went 0 for 9 his next three games. Still, it didn't stop the New York Mets from promoting the former Heisman Trophy winner up to St. Lucie of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League on Sunday.
Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said Tebow, 29, had been trending in a positive direction the past two or three weeks. Tebow believes, as he has since Day 1 with the Fireflies, that his game has improved and will keep getting better at the next level.
A look how Tebow has fared this week and this season:
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HIGHLIGHTS: Tebow had two doubles and scored twice Thursday, and had a hit in five straight games, his longest streak of the season. His best game this week was Wednesday in a 6-2 victory at Greenville. Tebow went 1 for 2 with a double and two RBIs. He also walked twice.
AT THE PLATE: Tebow's batting average rose to .229 after Thursday, but dropped back .220 as he went hitless in his final three games with Columbia. Tebow was 2 of 13 for the week with three strikeouts.
ON THE SEASON: Tebow is 47 of 214 on the season with 23 RBIs and 69 strikeouts.
IN THE FIELD: Tebow had errors in consecutive games against Kannapolis for his sixth and seventh miscues of the season. He had a throwing error on Thursday night, then misplayed a ball in left on Friday night.
SORRY TIMMY: Charleston RiverDogs general manager Dave Echols apologized to those offended by his team's jabs at Tebow during the first game of a three-game series at Charleston a weekend earlier. The RiverDogs mascot wore eyeblack like Tebow with the Biblical passage, ''John 3:16'' on them. They also played the Hallelujah Chorus when Tebow got up to bat and had ''Not Tim Tebow'' underneath other Fireflies' player pictures on the scoreboard during opening lineups. Echols said the gestures were meant to play off Tebow's celebrity. Tebow joked he's seen and heard worse at games, especially when fans might have had a beer or two in them.
WHAT'S NEXT: Tebow is on his way South and opens for the St. Lucie Mets on Tuesday night at home to start a three-game series against Palm Beach. St. Lucie plays at Fort Myers starting Friday for a four-game series.
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