It’s been reported that pitcher Chad Smith grooved a few pitches to Tim Tebow in the former Heisman-winner’s MLB showcase last August.
Tebow is currently playing for the Columbia Fireflies, a New York Mets low class-A affiliate.
In The MMQB's "Tim Tebow Believes. Do You?", Tim Rohan writes Tebow's showcase "finale" was the batting portion where Tebow had the chance to prove if he had what it took to be a professional baseball player.
The two pitchers for Tebow’s August showcase were Chad Smith— a retired 26-year-old reliever— and David Aardsma, a 34-year-old former MLB closer.
Smith pitched first, then Aardsma who “repeatedly fooled Tebow” with off-speed pitches. Smith came out to pitch again after Aardsma and that’s when the reported grooving took place.
"Then Smith went back out, and Tebow started flashing his power, hitting line drives again," Rohan writes. "Thwack, thwack, thwack. See, maybe this was Tebow's baseball moment. Maybe this was another fourth-quarter comeback. If you saw those line drives, part of you might have started believing.
“What you didn’t see was Chad Smith, on his way to the mound, telling Tebow, ‘Be ready for some fastballs,’ and then grooving a few pitches right where Tebow liked them. It was the least he could do.”
After throwing several down the middle of the plate to the former Florida Gator, Rohan writes Smith asked Tebow to autograph a few baseballs.
Rohan also reported on Wednesday that Tebow played the showcase with an torn oblique which may have contributed to his difficulty swinging.
