Tyler Wade

Even in the shortened 2020 season, Wade nearly managed the highest plate appearance total of his career. He continued to showcase a strong ability to make contact, striking out at only a 21% clip while posting an 11.4 BB%. However, that led to just a .170/.288/.307 line across 105 plate appearances, in part stifled by a .188 BABIP. However, his poor line wasn't due entirely to poor luck. Wade managed only a 2.8% barrel rate, leading to just a .243 xBA and .310 xSLG. That leaves much of his potential fantasy value tied to his speed, as he boasts an 86th percentile sprint speed and has swiped 11 bags in 12 attempts across the last two seasons spanning 213 plate appearances. With DJ LeMahieu back on a long-term deal, Wade should enter the season as a bench infielder capable of filling in all over the diamond.

Wade has 241 plate appearances at the big-league level and has produced a paltry .197/.268/.298 slash line. He has 94th percentile sprint speed and can swipe some bases, but he has shown no ability to hit major-league pitching enough to remain on the big-league roster, especially not the Yankees' big-league roster. He has hit .286/.353/.413 against Triple-A pitching over the past three seasons in between his trips to the Bronx while going 50-for-68 on stolen-base attempts. He has another year of minor-league options, so expect more of the same treatment for Wade in 2020. He has to translate his minor-league hitting ways to the big-league level at some point to be worthy of more than a cursory look in the reserve rounds of an AL-only draft.

At press time, Wade is the projected starting second baseman for the Yankees. That said, you just know the club will be shopping for upgrades in order to prevent Boston from repeating as World Series champs. Maybe in other years, Wade could stick in the lineup and hit ninth while utilizing his speed down in the order to help set the table for the top of the lineup. Wade was a solid OBP guy with good speed throughout the minors, but that has not shown up yet in his numbers at the major-league level where he has looked very much overmatched. Wade has two years of options left, so the Yankees are not forced to use him right away, but if he can begin to get on base at the big-league level, this could be 20 steals freely available for reserve rosters in AL-only formats.

Wade always had impressive speed, but was unable to add much with his bat until the 2017 season. In 85 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre -- his first stint at the upper level of the minors -- Wade slashed .310/.382/.460 to go along with 26 steals in 31 attempts. Those efforts earned the then 22-year-old a series of promotions to the majors over the second half of the season, but his bat had trouble catching up to big-league pitching. The offseason departures of Starlin Castro and Chase Headley leave a couple of openings in the infield, but Wade will likely be passed over in favor of a more highly touted prospect in Gleyber Torres and/or Miguel Andujar. Still, the 23-year-old could get a look in spring training for a utility role and figures to be near the top of the organizational depth chart if the Yankees need additional infield help at any point in 2018.

Wade is a speedy shortstop with a decent glove but not much power, though he did crack a career-high five home runs in 133 games at Double-A in 2016. Wade also drew 63 walks during that time period, making the left-handed batter an ideal leadoff hitter. His best asset is his speed, though, as Wade swiped 27 bases this season after stealing 33 in 2015. A fourth-round pick in 2013, Wade is pretty much at his ceiling. He can draw a walk, steal a base and play shortstop fairly well. However, he has not hit above .275 in any year of full-season ball, and without much power to speak of, may not end up as much more than a utility player in the big leagues. Wade should begin the 2017 campaign in Triple-A, with the chance to make his big-league debut before the year is finished.

Wade got his first taste of Double-A ball in 2015, but he struggled mightily at the level to the tune of a .204/.224/.265 line in 29 games. It isn't too big of a concern though, given that he was just 20 years old and was coming off a very solid campaign at High-A in which he hit .280/.349/.353 and stole 31 bases. The shortstop possesses virtually no power at the plate, but had proven at the lower levels to be a consistent average hitter. He projects as a strong defender, but Didi Gregorius and fellow prospect Jorge Mateo figure to have shortstop accounted for in the foreseeable future. Wade should get a chance to prove himself at Double-A to start 2016, but a big league debut will likely have to wait until 2017.