Tim Tebow will begin his professional baseball journey in 2017 with the New York Mets' Class A team in Columbia, South Carolina.
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner was told Monday that he will be assigned to the Columbia Fireflies, the Mets' affiliate in the South Atlantic League.
"Sending him to a full-season club is what we hoped to be able to do," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told Newsday. "And based on what he's done in spring training, and his whole body of work since last fall, we feel comfortable with him going to Columbia."
Tebow is hitting .200 (4-for-20) in seven games for the Mets in spring training. The Mets have been playing him in the outfield.
"I am excited about continuing the journey. I learned so much this spring working with T.C. [Terry Collins], Kevin Long, and Tom Goodwin," Tebow said in a statement. "I hear so many good things about the City of Columbia. I hear the stadium is great. I look forward to coming there to make an impact on the field and the community."
Tebow, 29, won the Heisman Trophy with the Florida Gators and helped the team take two national championships. He played professionally for the Denver Broncos from 2010 to '11, leading them to a playoff overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011, and the New York Jets (2012). He spent training camps with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles in 2013 and 2015, respectively, but never played in the regular season for those teams.
"Tebow's story is so compelling -- from the BCS National Championships and the NFL playoffs to reinventing himself as a professional baseball player," Fireflies president John Katz said in a statement. "His humility, faith and unwavering commitment to better himself will bring a new dynamic to our clubhouse. Having a player that has achieved his level of success on two big stages will ultimately pay huge dividends for our players as they pursue their dreams of playing for the New York Mets."
Tebow signed with the Mets on Sept. 8 and participated in three Florida Instructional League games. He played in 19 contests in the Arizona Fall League.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.