Baseball-Former NFL player Tebow has workout to showcase skills

Aug 30 ( Reuters) - Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN broadcaster Tim Tebow showcased his baseball skills for scouts and media on Tuesday in an attempt to pursue a career in a second professional sport.

The 29-year-old took batting practice, ran sprints and played in the outfield as approximately 50 media members and 40 scouts watched the workout in Los Angeles.

According to multiple reports, he appeared rusty in a sport he has not played regularly since 2005, but still showcased his athletic ability and a good eye while hitting against former major league pitchers.

"The goal would be to have a career in the big leagues," Tebow said in comments published on the Major League Baseball website. "That's the goal, right?

"Since I was four or five years old, there's been two things that I've loved the most in sports. One was playing quarterback -- having 10 other guys look at you and depend on you to win a game. And then hit a baseball.

"There wasn't a season that went by where it wasn't something that I thought about.

"When I felt like I had this opportunity, I wanted to take it and pursue it with everything I had."

Tebow played three years in the NFL before his career stalled and he became a television analyst in late 2013.

He was All State in baseball at high school before playing American football at the University of Florida.

Tebow clinched the Heisman Trophy as the top collegiate player in 2007 and won two national titles at Florida before he had a short professional career with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets that earned him a legion of fans.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)