Philippine Baseball Plans For Tim Tebow Altered After Sudden Retirement

After four seasons, former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow is ending his Major League Baseball (MLB) dream.

The 33-year-old Filipino-American announced his retirement from baseball and mentioned he was moving in a different direction.

"I want to thank the Mets, Alderson, the fans and all my teammates for the chance to be a part of such a great organization," Tebow said in a statement released by the Mets. "I loved every minute of the journey, but at this time I feel called in other directions.”

It remains unclear what spurred Tebow to suddenly quit baseball. He officially ends a five-year run as a minor league with the Mets.

The farthest the 33-year-old went was to reach the AAA level with the Syracuse Mets in 2019. He appeared in 287 games in three pro seasons with the club's farm team and earned 18 homers, 107 runs scored, 48 doubles, three triples, 107 RBI, and five stolen bases.

"I never want to be partially in on anything. I always want to be 100% in on whatever I choose. Thank you again for everyone's support of this awesome journey in baseball, I'll always cherish my time," Tebow stated.

It will be recalled the Tebow started as an NFL player before making the surprise jump to professional baseball from 2010 to 2015. He started with the Denver Broncos and then made stops to the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Outside sports, Tebow has been a champion to many. He is a devout Christian, supporting more than 40 national evangelists over in the Philippines.

In the US, Tebow also shared the Christian faith in prisons and schools as well as church and youth groups.

Tebow’s retirement may have also doused any hope of seeing him play for the Philippines. In January, he was eyed as a potential player of the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA).

PABA secretary-general Pepe Munoz considered Tebow a potential player for the national team until shocking news came out about his retirement.

Munoz was considering Tebow to be part of the team for the World Baseball Classic.

Aside from Tebow, others who reportedly expressed intention to play for the Philippines is Darren Baker, the son of Houston Astros manager and former MLB All-Star Dusty Baker who is married to a Filipino.

Baker plays the second baseman and is set to play his final year with UC Berkeley after going undrafted in the 2020 MLB Draft, ESPN reported.