Tim Tebow says NYPD's 105th Precinct 'an encouragement to me'

NEW YORK -- In the borough where Tim Tebow one day hopes to play Major League Baseball, the former NFL quarterback visited the NYPD's 105th Precinct in Queens Village on Tuesday.

While in New York to promote his memoir, "Shaken," Tebow stopped by the precinct to let the assembled officers know he appreciated their contribution. That department lost officer Brian Moore in May 2015, and the New York Mets have maintained a close relationship with that group since the tragic slaying.

Tebow signed a minor league contract with the Mets in September.

"It's very meaningful to be able to give back, but honestly just to say thank you and try to encourage all of them that what they do really matters," Tebow said. "It matters to me, and they're making a difference. What they're doing is significant. Sometimes it can be a thankless job. We just wanted to take this time to say thank you. ... It's great to be able to come in here and try to encourage them. But, at the same time, they're such an encouragement to me with just what they do every single day."

Said NYPD Lt. Robert Maguire: "It's really nice to see people come down that really appreciate us, that care about what we do every day. You see that all the time. ... When we're out on patrol, we hear it all day long, we see it all day long from a lot of people. There's a lot of support in New York. With Tim Tebow coming down and the Mets coming down -- the Mets are great supporters of us -- it gives us a good feeling."

After resuming his baseball career for the first time since his junior year of high school, the 29-year-old Tebow hit .194 (12-for-62) in the recently completed Arizona Fall League. He produced three doubles, two RBIs and eight walks while striking out 20 times. He stole one base in three attempts and had a .296 on-base percentage and .242 slugging percentage.

The Mets have not announced whether Tebow will be invited to major league camp for spring training. It may be more sensible for him to attend minor league camp and be borrowed for occasional Grapefruit League games.

Tebow will sporadically work with Mets hitting coach Kevin Long the remainder of the offseason in Phoenix.

"I felt like I continued to get better the entire time and I finished off on a good note and have been training pretty hard," Tebow said. "I feel like I'm still improving every day."