New York Yankees Prospect Profile Number 8: Tyler Wade

As we continue along with the Yanks Go Yard Prospect Profile series, we move down the MLB pipeline to the 8th-ranked prospect for the New York Yankees, Tyler Wade.
Scouting grades (courtesy of MLB Pipeline): Hit: 50 | Power: 30 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 50

Tyler Wade has been a remarkably consistent performer in his four professional seasons since the Yankees took him in the fourth round of the 2013 amateur draft. While he’s primarily thought of as a defense-first prospect, Wade’s combination of plus speed, pesky contact skills, and polished plate discipline make him a valuable two-way player. A career .350 OBP combined with his improving base-stealing suggest he could eventually become a real weapon at the bottom of the order. His stolen base totals have increased each season, from 11 to 22 to 33. The only big drawback to his offensive game is a complete lack of power (he has only five career home runs in over 1500 PAs). He does enough other things well though that it’s easy to look past this.

In a system crowded with talented shortstops, Wade has emerged as one of the best defenders. His speed plays well in the field, giving him excellent range. He has quick feet, steady hands, and is a strong all-around athlete. The type of guy who you can tell after just a few plays is a natural shortstop. His arm strength has long been thought of as his biggest weakness, with some scouts wondering if a move to second base would eventually be necessary. Recent reports of his arm are more favorable however, and the general consensus has become that he will stick at short.

The 21-year-old Wade has been aggressively promoted up the ladder, succeeding despite being 2-4 years younger than his competition at each stop. Currently, he is 3.5 years younger than the average Eastern League player and is putting together one of his strongest offensive campaigns to date, slashing .273/.362/.380 (115 wRC+) in his first 141 PAs. The slugging percentage would be a career high and may be a result of an offseason focused on adding muscle to his wiry frame.

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Recent reports suggest that fellow top prospect Jorge Mateo, who has been seeing time at second base to increase his versatility, may be on his way up to Trenton in the coming weeks, perhaps giving Yankees fans a sneak preview of their future middle-infield duo. The fact that Mateo, ranked by MLB.com as New York’s number one overall prospect, is expected to slide over to second in deference to Wade, speaks to how the organization views his defensive abilities.

Even if he doesn’t reach his ceiling, Wade’s skillset lends itself perfectly to becoming a successful utility infielder. If he continues to progress as expected, he should be competing for playing time in the Bronx at some point next year.