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Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer 8y

MLB Roundup: Tim Tebow's tryout is just for show

Somebody needs to say it: The rollout of Tim Tebow, would-be baseball player, is just silly. It’s coming off to some baseball executives more like the pilot of a reality show than an earnest effort to create a career in a sport he has not played professionally.

Tebow doesn’t need a showcase. He doesn’t need to send out invitations to scouts to watch. He needs to play baseball. He needs to play games.

A workout for scouts isn’t going to tell them anything they don’t already know: that Tim Tebow is a phenomenal athlete. He is in great shape. He throws pretty well. His work ethic is impeccable. Everyone knows who Tim Tebow is and the possibilities he would present as a box-office attraction if he actually demonstrates he can play baseball at a high level.

What nobody knows, including Tebow, is how he will fare against live pitching -- which is something nobody will see in a workout -- after more than decade of doing other stuff. This is the only thing that matters; this is the great unknown. How will Tebow fare against good fastballs, breaking balls and changeups -- tough pitches thrown in sequences designed to deceive him?

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