San Francisco Giants outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. really made a name for himself last season.
In his first season with the Giants, this brother stepped up in a significant way and instantly became a key player in the lineup, after putting together an impressive season in the Bay where he hit .253 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI.
According to a tweet by Stats By STATS, Wade had six game-tying or go-ahead hits in the ninth inning which made him the first player in 40 years to do so in a single season.
Tonight was LaMonte Wade Jr.'s 6th game-tying or go-ahead hit in the 9th inning this season for the @SFGiants.
That's the most by any MLB player in a season in the last 40 years.
While Wade was gearing up for a hot start to the 2022 season, unfortunately, he suffered an injury during spring training and started the season on the injured list.
Wade reportedly felt discomfort in his knee after exiting a spring training game. He underwent an MRI which revealed inflammation and a bone bruise, and doctors recommended 10 days of downtime before being reevaluated, the article stated.
Not the start Wade and the Giants wanted to have, but there is some good news.
While there is still no official return time for the talented outfielder, he did begin to do some baseball activities earlier this month, according to an article from mercurynews.com.
“The treatment’s been making it feel a lot better, so just hopefully continue trending in the right direction,” Wade said.
“I’m still going be out there with the guys cheering them on and watching the game,” he said. “The atmosphere, I assume, is going to be really exciting and fun to be a part of.”
There’s no question that Wade would have been a part of the Opening Day lineup against the Miami Marlins, but he was forced to watch from the sidelines.
The Giants have got off to a hot start to the season, but that impact Wade can provide is still missing. Whether he’s at the plate or in the field, he can change the momentum of the game just like that.
And that is why he’ll continue to make an impact once he returns to the lineup.
Wade put up all career-high numbers last season and let the league know what he’s all about. And the fact that he had an impact on one of the top teams in the league last year also speaks volume.
Our MLBbro is the definition of a team player and he’s someone you want to have on your team. On the field he’ll give you max effort wherever he’s playing, whether that’s the outfield or at first base. At the plate, the 28-year-old can hit for power and hit for contact. You really get the best of both worlds in Wade.
Don’t expect Wade to be out too long as he’ll look to play another significant role in his second season with the Giants.
#MLBbro Ellis Burks had a stellar 18-year MLB career in which he swatted 352 homers and had a career batting average of .291.
He also knows a thing or two about rivalries having played for the Boston Red Sox and the San Francisco Giants. Burks joins Mark Gray on “The Pushback” to talk 2021 MLB Playoffs.
A debate ensued with the San Francisco Giants about which outfielder would play in Game of the NLDS as LaMonte Wades’ struggles were louder than his play.
Reports indicated that it came down to Wade Jr. and fellow outfielder Steven Duggar, who made plays while starting Game 3. But Wade got the start, and it paid off.
Wade Jr. got his first postseason hit as he turned on an inside pitch which dropped in front of fellow MLBbro Mookie Betts for a single to right-center in the top of the second.
Trailing 0-1 in the top of the second with Kris Bryant on first base, LaMonte Wade Jr got his first postseason hit as he turned on an inside pitch which dropped in front of fellow MLBbro Mookie Betts for a single to right-center. pic.twitter.com/BmVYzgEJau
This hit broke an unwanted playoff slump for the young sensation who was 2-34 at the plate and hitless in seven NLDS at bats.
After building his confidence at the plate, Wade Jr put on his PF Flyers, turned on the jets, and produced a game-saving catch with men on base, while crashing into the wall to end the third inning.
After building his confidence at the plate, LaMonte Wade Jr put on his PF Flyers and turned on the jets to stop a bases clearing game saving catch while crashing into the wall to end the third inning. pic.twitter.com/vbP6Cs7gvY
The top of the fourth saw Wade get showered with boos as he once again steps to the plate with Bryant on base, but he grounded out to second to end the inning.
With runners in scoring position, he has eight game-tying or go-ahead hits in the ninth inning or better, which is the most in the MLB this season; hence the later the game, the more efficient he hits.
A double switch ended Wades’ night early as he was replaced in the bottom of the fourth. The Dodgers went on to route the Giants 7-2 to force a winner take all Game 5:
Hitting is magnetic, and since Wade has found his stroke look for him to continue turning those negative plate appearances into a positive Thursday night in front of a ruckus crowd back at Oracle park.
First pitch of the NLDS is slated for 9:07 p.m. EST on TBS.
“Late Night” LaMonte Wade Jr.’s struggles continued Monday night against vaunted LA Dodgers hurler Max Scherzer.
Wade Jr. went 0-3 with two strikeouts and he’s mired in a 2-for-34 rut.
The struggles at the plate are prevalent for Wade Jr, but his defensive prowess is on another level as he made play after play while roaming left field.
He caught numerous pop-flys throughout his duration, but none was more impressive than the one he shagged on the warning track to open the bottom of the sixth.
Defensive positioning & strategy has LaMonte Wade Jr. shining in the outfield tonight. pic.twitter.com/N4PxvY1Hb6
Wades’ defense is only one of the reasons he was able to help his team gain one step closer to advances to the National League Championship Series as he was one of two current Giants to have faced Scherzer, as mentioned earlier.
Wade’s knowledge of the newly acquired Dodger pitcher led to the lone run of the game by Evan Longoria who went yard in the top of the fifth.
Wade Jr. said he remembers Scherzer very well in their match-up when he pitched for the Washington Nationals. He emphasized how he challenged him with heater after heater in his at-bats.
Per KNBR.com, Wade said, “Now that I think about it, he was attacking the whole time with the heater.”
He recounted the 12 pitch at-bat as the first pitch was 94 mph, then 89, 93, and 94 mph with a cuter and a curveball to keep him honest at the plate, which like Monday, led to another pop-out.
From the performance, which ultimately bled into Tuesday morning, it was evident that the Giants did their due diligence in preparing for the Cy Young winner as they’re one win away from advancing to the next round.
And speaking of putting the work in, a video surfaced of manager Gabe Kapler witnessing the power of Wade Jr. as he launched long ball after long ball into the stratosphere Sunday night ahead of game three inside Dodger Stadium.
There is a reason that Kapler keeps inserting Wade into the starting lineup. He knows that bad times don’t last, and hopefully, LaMonte will show why he received the moniker “Late Night” sooner rather than later.
Look for Wade to shake away from the dismal slump in Game 4 on Tuesday night, with first pitch slated for 9:07 p.m. EST on TBS.
Our MLBbro came through clutch in a game on August 21st.
The Giants were battling their division rivals, the Oakland Athletics, and Wade was called upon to pinch hit.
And what did our brother do?
Hit a go-ahead two-run homer to help the Giants secure a 6-5 victory. And that was his first pinch-hit home run of his career too, can’t get much better than that.
Wade’s teammates has nothing but respect for him.
“It’s not easy to come off the bench after you’ve been sitting there for three-and-a-half hours and put a good swing on a ball like that,” Giants veteran Brandon Belt told mlb.com.
“But it’s something that we as a team have been able to do really well this year. It’s especially hard for a young player like LaMonte, but he’s shown up at-bat after at-bat, late in the game. He’s been huge for us.”
Wade is the type of player that can make an impact whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.
As the Giants continue to make a push towards the playoffs and fend off the Dodgers and Padres in the NL West, Wade will continue to display his abilities on the field and let the league know that he is a force to be reckoned with.
