Since his promotion to the New York Mets Class A-advanced affiliate, the St. Lucie Mets, former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow has been playing well.
Through 20 games with the team, Tebow is batting .308 with 20 hits, 12 RBIs and three home runs, including a 3-for-5 performance on Monday.
His tenure with St. Lucie started off with a bang, homering on his first day with the club in the second game of a doubleheader on June 28. And recently, Tebow was in the news again after he hit a walk-off homer in the second game of another doubleheader on July 13.
The former professional football player also recorded a hit in 15 of his first 17 games with the new squad.
Don’t expect a call-up to the majors to happen anytime soon, but if Tebow keeps up this level of play, it won’t be long until he continues to rise up the ranks.
Puk pitches in Futures Game
Former Florida pitcher AJ Puk took part in the Futures Game during the MLB All-Star break, where he pitched for Team USA.
The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and struggled to record the final out. But after Team World put the tying run on base, Puk got out of the jam, securing the win for the U.S.
His troubles in Miami seem to be a continuation from his season with the Midland Rockhounds, the Double A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.
Puk has yet to record a win since his promotion on June 16 and boasts a 4.91 ERA and 18.1 innings pitched in four starts.
The best of the rest
Former Gators shortstop Nolan Fontana saw the major leagues for just seven games with the Los Angeles Angels before being recalled to the Triple A affiliate Salt Lake Bees.
In his short span in the MLB, Fontana recorded one hit, which was a home run, and one walk.
With the Bees, the Winter Garden, Florida, native is batting .275 with 73 hits, eight home runs and 37 RBIs.
Fontana isn’t the only former Gator to make it to the MLB. Left fielder Preston Tucker has alternated from playing with the Houston Astros and their Triple A affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies, since 2015.
But for this season, Tucker has been with the Grizzlies, where he has a .267 average with 88 hits, 14 home runs and 63 RBIs.
Outfielder Matt den Dekker is still trying to find his footing with the Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
The Fort Lauderdale native has 22 hits in 26 games with the Mud Hens and is batting .259 with seven RBIs. In his last ten games, however, den Dekker has 12 hits, two home runs and four RBIs.
Contact Jake Dreilinger at jdreilinger@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @DreilingerJake.
Tim Tebow is arguably the greatest player in UF history, but should he be judged by his former accolades forever?
