TEMPE, Ariz. — Tyler Wade’s eyes widened and he smiled when he was asked about stealing bases.

“Oh yeah,” Wade said. “I can make a single into a triple. That’s going to be runs and wins for us … I think that’s something I can rack up this year.”

The Angels’ new infielder has 30 stolen bases in 38 attempts in his big-league career, including 17 last season.

So far in camp, his speed has been one of the most visible parts of his game. On Thursday, Wade tripled and beat out a ground ball for an infield single.

Last season, Wade’s sprint speed was 29.1 feet per second. The only Angels players who were faster last year were Jo Adell (29.9) and Mike Trout (29.3). Shohei Ohtani was fifth on the Angels at 28.8.

A left-handed hitter, Wade also gets an extra few feet toward first out of the box, which puts even more pressure on infielders. Once he’s on first, he figures to create problems for pitchers.

“When I’m out there, I know pitchers are worried about me,” Wade said. “When you’ve got two MVPs up there, they’re going to get something in the middle of the plate.”

Wade could set the table for Trout and Ohtani by hitting eighth or ninth, if they are at the top of the order. If Wade can prove that he can get on base at the clip he did last year – a .354 on-base percentage – he might even become the Angels’ best leadoff hitter. His career on-base percentage is .298, though, so the Angels are likely to start him at the bottom of the order.

At the moment, it looks like Wade will form a second-base platoon with Matt Duffy. As the left-handed hitter in the duo, Wade would get the majority of the playing time.

It’s the opportunity he’s been wanting throughout his career. Wade, 27, had been up and down with the New York Yankees throughout his first five big-league seasons. In 2020, he started 21 of 60 games. Last season, he started 19 of 162.

The Angels picked him up in a trade in November. Aside from giving the Murrieta Valley High product a chance to come back to Southern California, he felt he had a better chance to play.

Although it seems he’ll get most of his chances at second, he can also play shortstop, third base and all three outfield spots.

“I feel the extra push in me because like I feel like I was kind of stuck in a dead-end job in New York,” Wade said. “It’s like I could hit .800 and it’s like ‘Well, we’ve still got Gleyber Torres, DJ (LeMahieu), all these guys in front of me.’ But here, I’ve got a good opportunity. I just feel like I’m fight for something.”

Wade also said he feels he’s a perfect match with manager Joe Maddon because of his style of play. The feeling is mutual.

“He’s really a bright young man,” Maddon said. “He’s a baseball player. He plays a complete game. He understands the game really well. I like him. I like the energy that he plays with. Coming from New York, you know he’s played in situations where you have to perform and he gets that. There’s a lot to like there.”

BARRACLOUGH’S SPRING

Kyle Barraclough has made a strong push for one of the Angels’ undecided bullpen spots.

The 31-year-old right-hander was a solid piece of the Miami Marlins bullpen from 2015-18, posting a 3.21 ERA. But he didn’t hook on with any team during the shortened 2020 season and spent last year posting a 5.54 ERA with the Minnesota Twins and Yankees.

He threw the entire winter, instead of taking a month off as he normally does. This spring, he has allowed one run in five innings, with nine strikeouts and no walks.

“Really good,” Maddon said. “He’s got a unique fastball. The number’s not heavy on the board (93.1 mph last year), but the ball really carries from the side. He’s competes. He competes. I’ve seen him really good in the past in Miami. I like what I’ve seen a lot. Not a little bit. A lot.”

Barraclough said this spring he’s worked to improve the sharpness of his breaking ball and the way he’s used his fastball. The lack of walks is a good sign for a pitcher who has walked 5.5 hitters per nine innings throughout his career.

“It’s getting there,” Barraclough said. “I’m happy that I’m attacking the zone.”

Barraclough is competing with José Marte, Oliver Ortega, Jimmy Herget and Brian Moran for one or two bullpen spots.

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NOTES

Trout was the leadoff hitter for Friday’s exhibition game, ahead of Shohei Ohtani. Although Maddon has mostly put them in the opposite order, he said he’s not opposed to trying this. “It’s a possibility,” he said. “I wanted to see what it looked like.” …

Ohtani received a PlayStation 5 console as part of his deal with the video game company for appearing on the cover of the video game, The Show. Ohtani made the console a prize for one of the minor-leaguers who were in camp on Friday. They hit popups to media relations staffer Matt Birch, and the first to hit one that Birch caught won the prize. Catcher Straton Podaras, the second player to try, won the console.