The next big “Baby Bomber?”
There will be a rookie infielder on the New York Yankees Opening Day roster.
Here’s the catch: it’s not Gleyber Torres, and it’s not Miguel Andujar. The next Yankee rookie to make their Opening Day debut will be…Tyler Wade?
That’s right. After a solid showing in Spring Training, Wade has earned the trust of manager Aaron Boone, who announced his decision yesterday.
Now, I’ve been reading a lot of criticism from Yankee fans on the young infielder. “He can’t hit,” “He did nothing for us last year,” “Overrated!”
Clearly these fans have not watched Wade play this spring.
Did he struggle last season? He did at the big-league level. But let’s not forgot Wade only had 63 plate appearances for the Yankees in 2017, and his playing time was quite sporadic. Sure, he had .155 batting average during that span, but there were no consistent reps. If Spring Training shows any indication, the Yankees may have found another potential stud in the making.
In 38 exhibition at-bats, Wade owns a .316 batting average with two stolen bases, three doubles and one triple. The kid can move. Did I mention he has ridiculous range and a slick glove in the field? Anyone who has watched Wade play this spring knows this man has the potential to win multiple gold gloves.
Speed is not an issue…the 22-year-old can fly. But as most Yankee fans want to see, is his bat big-league ready?
Although Wade struggled at the plate in his brief stint in the majors a season ago, he had quite the year in Triple-A. In 85 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Wade hit .310 to go along with seven homers, 22 doubles, four triples and 26 stolen bases. I think it’s safe to say it’s time to see this bat at the major league level.
Wade doesn’t hit for a ton of power, but he did put on some noticeable size in the offseason. As a left-handed hitter, those gains could translate well with that Yankee Stadium short porch in right field. It’s also worth mentioning Wade worked with Albert Pujols this winter to make some major swing adjustments. Perhaps you’ve heard of Pujols…the future hall of famer?
Anyway, manager Aaron Boone plans to platoon Wade at second base with newly acquired infielder Neil Walker. It remains to be seen who will start at second for the Bombers when the team heads north of the border next Thursday.
Personally, I’ve got my money on Wade. This was one of the first big decisions Boone has had to make as manager, and I fully support his choice. Wade has been impressive this spring and undoubtedly earned his spot. We’ll have to see how he adjusts to Round 2 in the MLB.
Who knows? Aaron Judge struggled in his 2016 big-league cameo, and we all know how that turned out.
With Wade’s talent, the young infielder could be a mainstay in the Bronx for years to come.
