Utility Man 'As Confident As Ever' That He Can Help Yankees Win World Series

New York Yankees utility man Tyler Wade is hoping to be more consistent in 2021, continue filling in off the bench and help the Yankees win a World Series

Entering a new season, whether they say it in public or not, every ballplayer has goals. Some want to hit a certain amount of home runs, others hope to make the Opening Day roster while everyone wants to stay healthy. 

Utility man Tyler Wade's aspirations for 2021 are simple: provide depth by filling in for his teammates and win a World Series.

"I just think it's been the same every single year," Wade said in a Zoom call on Sunday. "Slide in whenever guys need days off, whether it's Gleyber [Torres], DJ [LeMahieu], Gio [Urshela], [Aaron] Judge, wherever it may be, I'm ready for that. I feel like I'm as confident as I've ever been. My mind's there. Physically I've always been there. I'm just ready to win a World Series."

Wade is entering his fifth season in pinstripes, gradually increasing the amount of games that he's played in each year along the way. The 26-year-old projects to occupy one of the spots on the Yankees' bench at the beginning of this season.

Last year, the utility man played in 52 games. Only Aaron Hicks and Luke Voit played in more contests. That's because the speedster is an asset on the bases and has the ability to play every position other than catcher and first base. 

Where Wade has struggled to earn playing time, however, is his performance at the plate. It helps that he's a left-handed bat on a righty-heavy roster, but he's a career .190 hitter. Last season, Wade hit .170/.288/.307 with 22 strikeouts in 105 plate appearances.

Asked what he worked on over the offseason to improve ahead of the regular season, Wade said he hopes to be more consistent. 

"Defense, offense, base running, everything," he said. "Just improving on being consistent each and every day. And that's about it, just going hard."

Considering Wade can play shortstop, he has a direct path to starting the year with the big-league club. Other utility men are vying for roster spots—like Miguel Andújar, Derek Dietrich and even slugger Jay Bruce—but unless Yankees manager Aaron Boone wants to use Urshela at shortstop (or call upon the versatile Thairo Estrada), then nobody would be available to serve as Torres' backup. 

If Wade can be more consistent at the plate in 2021, he could be invaluable for this club. Either way, look for him to fill in on the defensive side late in games and make a slew of pinch-running appearances as well. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.