With Gleyber Torres out, Tyler Wade could soon be the answer for the Yankees at third base
The Yankees have surprised many with their 40-32 start that has them tied for first place in the AL East despite having such glaring holes at first and third base. The Yankees just DFA'd Chris Carter late Friday night turning to youngster Tyler Austin at first base, leaving an open spot on the 40-man roster. And Yankees GM Brian Cashman may not be finished committing to the youth movement, as Tyler Wade has forced his name into the equation for the New York Yankees.
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| Photo Credit: Butch Dill | USA TODAY Sports |
Many were initially clamoring for Gleyber Torres to be the signature in-house deadline acquisition, but after having Tommy John Surgery on his left arm on an awkward head first slide into home, the Yankees have to look elsewhere for replacements should the third baseman continue to struggle.
Headley has been one of the most frequently criticized Yankee players dating back to his disastrous 2016 month of April. Headley actually rebounded nicely to finish with a very Chase Headley-like line of .253/.331/.385 with 14 homers and 51 RBIs. While these numbers were down from his career numbers, they were solid considering how non-existent he was during the first month of the season.
Through the first two weeks of the 2017 season, Headley silenced his critics as he hit .396/.500/.646 with three home runs, six RBIs, and three doubles. However, following the game on April 19th, Headley went back to the Chase Headley we all have come to know.
Headley has been praised for his “excellent” month of April but allow me to make it explicitly clear: Chase Headley did not have a great month of April; Chase Headley had a great first two weeks of April. Between April 21 and April 30, Headley hit just .171, which lowered his batting average to .301 on the month. And Headley has continued his abysmal offensive season, as he currently has a .245/.335/.362 line with just four home runs and 31 RBIs.
While Headley's bat has continued slumping since, he has been equally as bad in the field. Headley's 11 errors lead the Yankees and are second only to Nick Castellanos of the Tigers among all third basemen in Major League Baseball.
In the minors, Wade is solidifying himself as one of the most polished prospects in the Yankee farm system. Before this year, Wade was waiting for his numbers to catch up to his talented skill set and smooth fundamentals. Things are finally clicking for the 22-year-old this season.
Wade was in contention for the starting shortstop job out of Spring Training after Didi Gregorius went down, but the Yankees elected to go with the veteran Pete Kozma. That decision has only seemed to light a fire for Wade in AAA.
Through 67 games, Wade is hitting .312/.384/.444 with five homers, 16 doubles, three triples, 24 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases in 27 attempts. He's also made appearances at shortstop, third base, second base, left field, center field, and right field as he is becoming the super-utility man that many teams find so valuable in today's game.
Wade has asserted that he is willing to play whatever position, and do whatever the team asks him to do in order to reach the team as soon as possible, and to ultimately help the Yankees win their 28th championship.
As the Yankees head into the summer, they will look for Judge, Gary Sanchez, and most recently Tyler Austin to lead the Yankees youth movement to the division title. There's no reason Cashman and company cannot continue pushing that agenda with a midseason Tyler Wade call-up, and he has noted that he may be willing to do that.
“I’ll tell you right now, Tyler Wade has been the best productive infielder who’s capable of playing third base off that Scranton roster,” Cashman said. “I think if we had to make a move, a necessary move to fix a problem on the infield side, Tyler Wade would be the first guy getting the call.”
While Headley's bat has continued slumping since, he has been equally as bad in the field. Headley's 11 errors lead the Yankees and are second only to Nick Castellanos of the Tigers among all third basemen in Major League Baseball.
In the minors, Wade is solidifying himself as one of the most polished prospects in the Yankee farm system. Before this year, Wade was waiting for his numbers to catch up to his talented skill set and smooth fundamentals. Things are finally clicking for the 22-year-old this season.
Wade was in contention for the starting shortstop job out of Spring Training after Didi Gregorius went down, but the Yankees elected to go with the veteran Pete Kozma. That decision has only seemed to light a fire for Wade in AAA.
Through 67 games, Wade is hitting .312/.384/.444 with five homers, 16 doubles, three triples, 24 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases in 27 attempts. He's also made appearances at shortstop, third base, second base, left field, center field, and right field as he is becoming the super-utility man that many teams find so valuable in today's game.
Wade has asserted that he is willing to play whatever position, and do whatever the team asks him to do in order to reach the team as soon as possible, and to ultimately help the Yankees win their 28th championship.
In the interview, Wade had indicated that he's already received advice from Yankees stud Aaron Judge, and he even interviews like the humble MVP-candidate..@_tylerwade acts like a Yankee & plays like an All-Star. pic.twitter.com/IVqu1koRsx— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 20, 2017
As the Yankees head into the summer, they will look for Judge, Gary Sanchez, and most recently Tyler Austin to lead the Yankees youth movement to the division title. There's no reason Cashman and company cannot continue pushing that agenda with a midseason Tyler Wade call-up, and he has noted that he may be willing to do that.
“I’ll tell you right now, Tyler Wade has been the best productive infielder who’s capable of playing third base off that Scranton roster,” Cashman said. “I think if we had to make a move, a necessary move to fix a problem on the infield side, Tyler Wade would be the first guy getting the call.”
With so many question marks surrounding Greg Bird, calling Wade up could also allow the Yankees to give Headley some starts at first base to try to try to alleviate some pressure off of Austin and Bird when the time comes.
The Yankees have asserted that if they call a prospect to replace Headley in the starting lineup that they would hold onto Headley as a nice veteran presence. who could play the corner infield positions. And with Headley's clock ticking, if he does not get back on track as the Yankees continue contending into the summer, the Yankees are likely to look internally to solve the third base enigma.
There is no better way in doing that than by giving Wade the call, and that call could be coming sooner rather than later. It's only a matter of time before Wade is the Yankees' answer at third base at this point.
The Yankees have asserted that if they call a prospect to replace Headley in the starting lineup that they would hold onto Headley as a nice veteran presence. who could play the corner infield positions. And with Headley's clock ticking, if he does not get back on track as the Yankees continue contending into the summer, the Yankees are likely to look internally to solve the third base enigma.
There is no better way in doing that than by giving Wade the call, and that call could be coming sooner rather than later. It's only a matter of time before Wade is the Yankees' answer at third base at this point.
Article by: Chad Raines
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