The New York Yankees started off the season with the right foot, winning 4-1 in a rain-shortened game against the Washington Nationals, the reigning World Series champions.
Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton took nearly all the headlines, and with good reason. The former won by twirling five innings of one-run ball, while the latter uncorked a 459-foot home run off Max Scherzer, no less.
However, lost amid all the hoopla of Cole’s winning start was Tyler Wade’s performance. Let’s remember that Wade was supposed to be a utilityman, but the New York Yankees’ starting second baseman, DJ LeMahieu, went down with COVID-19 a few weeks ago. And while he was already activated from the injured list, he isn’t quite ready to start yet.
That’s why the Yankees decided to go with Wade, who won the competition to be LeMahieu’s short-term replacement during summer camp. The team had another worthy candidate in Thairo Estrada, but they decided to give Wade a shot, and boy, did he impress.
He made an impact on the Yankees victory
The game was called in the sixth inning, but that was enough time for Wade to make an impact. In two plate appearances, he had one hit and one walk, and the hit was a perfectly placed bunt single.
He showed off his impressive wheels by racing from first base to home on an Aaron Judge’s double. He was also very good defensively, and as he showed in 2019, he improved in second base. Is Tyler Wade’s time finally coming? For the New York Yankees, it would be an excellent problem to have: too many good players and few positions to put them.
Wade is only 25 years old despite having seemingly been around forever. He is a career .201/.274/.301 in 243 plate appearances in the majors, but with lots of reps, he could blossom into a 10 home runs, 30+ steals threat with a good OBP and lots of defensive versatility.
Will the 2020 season be the one in which he finally realizes his potential? Granted, lots of things would need to happen for him to get an extended look, but it remains within the realm of possibilities.