Major League Baseball

MLB showcase pitcher grooved Tebow fastballs, then asked for autograph for parents

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, SI Wire/Sports Illustrated via Extra Mustard

During Tim Tebow's major league baseball showcase for 28 of the 30 teams, he would face two pitchers during a simulated game.

One of those pitchers, Chad Smith, said he had studied up on Tebow, reading his first book and watching a video where Tebow spoke to prisoners.

Smith, in an effort to make things a bit easier during the tryout, told Tebow what was coming.

“Be ready for some fastballs,” Smith told Tebow, as revealed in a profile from MMQB's Tim Rohan.

At the end of the game, Smith then asked Tebow to sign some autographed balls for his parents.

Those grooved pitches led to at least 15 teams showing some interest in the former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner.

The New York Mets eventually took the bait, and signed Tebow to a minor-league deal with a $100,000 signing bonus.

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