New York Yankees Youth Product Might Receive Opportunity In 2019

New York Yankees, Tyler Wade
Sep 29, 2018; Boston, MA, USA; New York Yankees pinch runner Tyler Wade (12) high fives his teammates after scoring a run during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

With the New York Yankees set to lose starting short stop Didi Gregorius for a chunk of the 2019 season, they will have to find a replacement for the time being. Options like star free agent Manny Machado are atop the list, but the Yankees might be wise to look inwards to fill the void.

The New York Yankees might look in-house to solve their problem at short-stop:

Instead of spending top dollar, as Machado is looking to sign a deal worth around $300 million over 10-years, New York could look towards a player like Tyler Wade.

Wade, 24, has experience as a professional in two seasons — 2017 & 2018 — he batted a dismal .161 with one home-run and 42 strikeouts.

The Yankees designated Ronald Torreyes, utility man, several months ago, which doesn’t leave them with many options in the infield. Injuries are an unpredictable but frequent part of the game, and being prepared is essential. Wade might get another chance to show what he’s capable of at the professional level. The only issue is, he’s not a well-rounded player.

The 24-year old could theoretically slide in at shortstop and utilize his quality defensive skills immediately, the only issue is that the batting order would suffer the consequences. Gregorius batted .268 last season, hitting a Yankees shortstop record 27 homers. His power was impressive and Wade simply doesn’t have the same abilities at the plate.

Tyler Wade has been awful at the plate:

In the last two years, Wade’s wRC+ was 17 and 29. That’s nearly equivalent to a pitcher coming to the plate. He struck out a whopping 31.6% of his at-bats and walked just 6.8%. The Yankees already have trouble with their batters striking out at an astronomical rate, putting the team in a peculiar position.

Alternatively, the Yankees could look to Gleyber Torres to fill Didi’s shoes. Torres played at shortstop in the minors, but was moved to his more natural position at second-base.

Personally, I feel as though the Yankees will look to sign somebody to take over at shortstop, especially since Gregorius will be a free agent in the winter of 2019. Additionally, they cannot bet on the fact that Didi’s throwing arm will recover 100%.