Tim Tebow opens up about his transition to baseball

The last time we spoke to Tim Tebow, things weren't out of the ordinary. He spoke to AOL.com in July about the 2016 college football season, a little politics and the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

Oh, how things have changed.

SEE ALSO: Tim Tebow will continue to serve as SEC Network analyst

Since, Tebow has worked out as a baseball player in front of 40-plus MLB scouts and signed a contract with the New York Mets as an outfielder.

On Thursday, Tebow spoke again with AOL over the phone, and dove deeper into his upcoming baseball career, how it came about and what lies ahead. He also touched again on Allstate's Good Works team, for which the roster was announced on Thursday.

We know you're a huge fan of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and are really involved with it. The players on the team have just been announced, what should it mean to each one of those players to see their names on the list?

I think it should be an honor for them. It should be an honor that they're getting recognized for something more important than winning or losing football games. It's not about how they're playing on the field, it's about what they're doing off the field and in the community -- and the lives that they're changing.

I think it'll be humbling for a lot of these players, but at the same time it will be very rewarding to be able to get recognized for the difference that they're making in other people's lives in so many amazing ways, because there's so many awesome stories from the entire team and the coach. It's just really cool, and it's an honor. Plus, you're part of a really cool family of players that have gone before you, and I think it'll mean a lot to them.

Can you walk us through the behind-the-scenes of how your signing with the Mets really came about? There were a few rumors after your tryout, particularly with the Atlanta Braves being interested, but when did it occur to you that the Mets were a real possibility?

We were in talks with several different teams, and really appreciated every team that was interested -- I appreciate their feedback and their interest in me. I think that it came down to the Mets, just because I really like Mr. [Sandy] Alderson (Mets GM), their plan and their interest in me as a baseball player, and also as a person.

Also, as far as baseball feel goes, character goes -- just as a plan and the people I got to meet and talk to. I just really liked it and really liked their character and who they were as people, and everything else that went along with it.

AP

You're returning to the same market as when you played for the New York Jets in 2012. New York isn't the easiest place to play, but is there anything you learned from your time with the Jets that you think will be useful this time around?

I think every place that I played in football and everything that I've gone through, I've learned from, and has helped make me who I am today. Whether that's been a good or a bad, a high or a low, I think that's been with every situation -- especially New York.

The obvious goal is to get to the Major Leagues and ultimately have success there. Have you put any sort of timeline on how long you expect it'll take to rise up the ranks?

Not really. I just gotta get to my first practice first (laughs). I'm just looking forward to that, and then we'll figure it out a little bit more and dive a little deeper.

Have any players or coaches on the Mets reached out to you since you've signed?

Yeah, there's been some of the players that have reached out to me. Encouraging texts, thoughts, well wishes -- that's been pretty cool.

What does your day-to-day training schedule look like, and does baseball come as naturally for you as football does?

There are some similarities, but also a lot of differences in the way that I go about training. It's a lot more slow-paced. But I love the training. It's been fun. I think it's enjoyable -- I've always loved the game, always loved training and the preparation, that it's hard -- if you're 3-for-10 you're really good. I love the struggle, the battle. I've always really enjoyed it, especially now that I can get back into it.

According to the team, you'll be reporting to the instructional league in a few days. What are you hoping to accomplish once you get to Port St. Lucie?

Just practice. Being able to get coaching, work, improve, see pitches, hit, throw -- everything. Just go through it, get back into it. Then we'll be getting into games, and I'll be able to get a feel for that. Just to put in the work and try to see progress every single day.

AP

On Saturdays, you'll continue to work with the SEC Network as a college football analyst. Is there a challenge mentally to switch from baseball to football over the course of a week?

Not really. I love it. I love playing the game of baseball, I really, really enjoy being able to do SEC Nation -- it's something that's so fun and something that I've really loved the last couple of years. Let's just be honest -- I'm gonna watch all the games anyway. I'm a huge college football fan, and I always have been. So being able to show up on the weekends and share my opinion is fun.

How much baseball have you watched over the years?

You can't watch all the games -- that's for sure. I watch a decent amount, especially when you get a chance to watch games like Sunday Night Baseball. But I'd say I watch a decent amount.

One thing you brought up: In baseball, you can fail 7-of-10 times and be considered good, which is a stark contrast to football. Have you considered the adjustments you'll need to make in regard to dealing with failure?

For sure. It's all about the mindset, and I think you really just have to be prepared mentally to handle it. It's funny, I always get asked that by several teams: How will you handle a slump?

I think so much of what I've gone through over the last 10 years in sports will help me through those moments. I've gone through some pretty big highs and pretty big lows -- being cut, going back and forth. I think that it's really prepared me for handling adversity.

- By John Dorn

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