Former Mets minor leaguer rips organization, alludes to Tebow signing: ‘a mockery’

Andrew Church — a former New York Mets second-round pick who has spent his entire career in the franchise’s minor league system — was one of the many minor league players reportedly cut on Thursday, with the possibility that the Minor League Baseball season could be canceled and rumblings of possible contraction of teams.

Church then took to Instagram where he delivered an honest statement about his feelings after losing his job. He said he was “bitter, frustrated, and angry at the Mets organization,” especially after he said he was sent to pitch in a Triple-A and was sent in to throw without any warm-ups. He said he tore his UCL that night.

“Then the next year,” Church added, “they made a mockery of our team by putting a celebrity on it to sell more tickets. I saw players lose their jobs because of it.”

Although he doesn’t name Tim Tebow, it sounds like that’s who he’s talking about.

View this post on Instagram

Please read to understand my true feelings. Today I got released by the NY Mets organization. The people on the other end of the phone had nothing but good things to say and I appreciated that very much. Anyone that has seen me play and compete knows that I lay it all on the line no matter what. Every practice, every game. I am a competitor, a true warrior. It’s in my DNA. From the outside looking in, my baseball career probably raises a lot of questions. Why did you retire and come back? How come your numbers aren’t very good if you were that dedicated? I have always kept my opinions to myself out of respect for the organization I signed a contract with. But now that it’s officially over with them I’d like to say some things. One of the main reasons I retired was to keep myself from expressing how I felt. I was bitter, frustrated, and angry at the Mets organization. I felt my competitive nature was being taken advantage of. They knew I would never say no to competing and would fly me around to fill in for anyone that got injured. I realized this wasn’t in my best interest when my delayed flight finally landed in the 3rd inning, and I was on the mound in a AAA baseball game for the first time, without any warm up throws. My UCL originally tore that night. Instead of seeing a doctors like I asked, they sent me back to High A to pitch in the playoffs. When I told them I couldn’t I was made out to be the bad guy. Then the next year, they made a mockery of our team by putting a celebrity on it to sell more tickets. I saw players lose their jobs because of it. We weren’t playing to win, we were playing to make everyone else money. Not the players. We never saw a cut. Well, allegedly that one player did. I think people are starting to understand that more now but they didn’t in 2018 when it was happening again. I was fed up. I spent my whole childhood honing in my passion and anger, to not let it get out of control, but it was and I was going to explode. So I took the opposite direction, I bottled it and silenced myself. I took some time away and cleared my head. Continued in comments..

A post shared by Andrew Church (@papachurch36) on May 28, 2020 at 6:29pm PDT

Here’s what he added in the comments section:

“Baseball has always been the only constant in my life. No matter if I’m active or not I will always play. It’s my release. I asked to be reinstated in 2019, when a new player development regime took over for the Mets. I honestly think they are making strides to be a better organization, but the culture that has been built for decades within that organization is toxic. Filled with snakes and bottom feeders trying to elevate their professional careers at the expense of the players, with no remorse.

“I hadn’t pitched in a competitive game in over a year, but they needed a filler because someone got hurt the night before. I took a red eye flight, to one stadium, a 7 hour bus trip, another flight, and a taxi to the stadium I would be pitching in. Again I was in a AAA baseball game with no worry about my well being. I lost my drive to perform for an organization who continuously treats us as pawns in their chess games. Especially when the ones doing it, don’t know what it takes to be a baseball player. And some must’ve just forgotten.

“Ignorance is a scary thing. We see it in mainstream society too often. Ignorance with power and a lack of empathy is, in my eyes, the scariest of all evils. Thank you to all the players and coaches who had the passion and drive to empower each other and push the game forward. (Expletive) you to everyone who wasn’t. You have no place in professional baseball.

“To my future, you all know I can’t stop. And I get scary when I’m motivated. Watch out! CarveNation.”

We’ve extensively covered how minor league players have been exploited over the years. Church’s post covers that and more. And as for the clear reference to Tebow? It sounds like he’s implying he isn’t the only one who has a negative opinion on signing the ex-NFL QB.

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