An ex-Mets minor league player took a shot at his former organization’s signing of Tim Tebow, calling it “a mockery” designed to “sell more tickets.”
Andrew Church, a 2nd round pick of the Mets in 2013, was released this week along with dozens of other minor league players across baseball as the impact of the pandemic continues to ravage America’s pastime.
In an Instagram post late Thursday night, Church vented about his frustrations with his club’s parent organization.
“The Mets made a mockery of our team by putting a celebrity on it to sell more tickets,’’ Church wrote. “I saw players lose their jobs because of it.
“We weren’t playing to win, we were playing to make everyone else money. Not the players. We never saw a cut. Well, allegedly one player did.”
Though Church never mentions Tebow by name, a careful reading of the minor league rosters reveals no other “celebrity” that could have sparked ticket sales.
The Mets, however, have been transparent about their reasons for signing Tebow. Former Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson admitted that Tebow’s “celebrity” factored into their decision to sign him.
“Look, we signed him because he is a good guy, partly because of his celebrity, partly because this is an entertainment business,” Alderson told Newsday.
Regardless of the reasons for prompting Tebow’s signing, his time with the Mets has been largely an unproductive disappointment. In four seasons playing at all levels of the minor leagues, Tebow is hitting a paltry .223 with 18 homeruns.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn