Rangers Boss Calls Hot-Hitting Veteran Infielder The ‘Perfect Role Player’

Finding the right player to be a role player in Major League Baseball isn’t easy. Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker knows that all too well.

He was one of those players coming up in pro baseball. He was the St. Louis Cardinals’ fifth-round pick in the 2001 MLB draft. He needed four years to work his way through the minor leagues and make his Major League debut.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

He was a reliable player and played more than 100 games in six different seasons. He played second base and all three outfield positions. He knows the pain of not making the opening day roster, being injured and having to be the “energy guy” off the bench.

That’s what he sees in Tyler Wade, a long-time veteran who is trying to make the Rangers as a utility player in spring training.

Skip Schumaker on Tyler Wade

Texas Rangers second baseman Tyler Wade swings through a baseball during a game. — Texas Rangers second baseman Tyler Wade. | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Wade and Schumaker didn’t cross paths as players. Wade broke in two years after Schumaker’s time as a player was done. But he knew the 31-year-old Wade by reputation and sees him as, in his own words, “the perfect role player.”

“He can do so many things,” Schumaker said. “The versatility is there. The compete inside the [batter’s] box is there. He’s not trying to do too much coming off the bench.”

Wade is even more versatile than Schumaker was in his career. He’s played six different positions with the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Angels, the Athletics and the San Diego Padres in a nine-year career. His bat doesn’t pack much punch. He has a career slash of .216/.294/.284 with seven home runs and 60 RBI. He’s only played in more than 100 games in one season.

But Schumaker has seen what Wade does first-hand. He was the manager in Miami when Wade was playing for the San Diego Padres. He said Wade does uncoachable things that everyday players need.

“I've been there with him inside the clubhouse, inside the dugout, he's a high energy, kind of an all-or-nothing guy,” he said. “Which is great because he gives you everything he has every day he plays. But with the bench player part of the role is to bring some sort of value through the clubhouse, the vibes, the positivity and get the guys going.”

Wade has gotten his bat going this spring. In seven games he’s slashed .600/.647/.933 with one home runs and two RBI. With his ability to play in the infield and the outfield, that boosts his chances of claiming one of those final bench spots with the Rangers going into opening day.