A typical major league season is certainly a marathon more than a sprint. Guys will have their ups and downs but staying consistent is the key to being a regular in the lineup.
The lefthanded hitter is batting .321 and shows no sign of slowing down. A Maryland native, playing in his sixth big league season, Wade has overcome some injuries that he had earlier in his career but has proven to be a factor as the cleanup hitter this season.
Wade’s versatility is another reason why he is in the Giants lineup on a daily basis. While a bulk of his playing time has been at first base this season, he has also seen action in right field and in left field.
“You have to prepare well and be ready for any situation” he told MLBbro in spring training.
The spring certainly prepared him well as he has committed just one error so far this season. His high average is definitely being noticed and talked about as well.
Lamonte Wade Jr. OBP Is Historic
His command of the plate was recently analyzed on an MLB Network segment in which his current league-leading On Base Percentage of .466 was considered “Barry Bonds type numbers”.
Wade is truly the Giants best hitter right now. He has come a long way since being a ninth round pick in the 2015 draft by the Minnesota Twins.
Knowing the strike zone has been a big part of his climb to the major leagues, twice (2017, 2019) he was named as having the best plate discipline in the Twins system.
A trade in February of 2021 brought Wade over to the National League and gave him his first post season experience.
Wade has made the most of his experiences and in addition to his stellar batting average the 30 year old also is second in the league in walks only to fellow bro Mookie Betts.
The Giants might be playing sub .500 baseball but Wade makes sure the clubhouse is fun and entertaining. Ping Pong is his sport of choice away from the diamond.
“Sometimes in the clubhouse, guys will get into it and play. It’s something that keeps it light and fun” he mentioned during spring training. “You gotta be quick in both, it’s a hand eye sport and both take a lot of coordination” he shared.
Whether it’s a ping pong ball back at you or a baseball back towards an opposing pitcher, the Giants have a guy who is ready to hit!
Lamonte Wade Jr is among league leaders in several statistical hitting categories, and he is a positive in a Giants lineup that is hitting below .240 as a team and ranked 20th in home runs.
Lamonte Wade Jr is having a career year and heating up down the stretch run as he tries to help power the San Francisco Giants into the third and final NL Wild Card spot. Jaelen Gilkey has the FACTZ on this fifth year MLBbro.
“Late Night” Lamonte Wade Jr. made true to his name with two walk-off hits in the Giants’ three-game series against the Guardians this week.
Thanks to Wade, San Francisco has won five of their last six games and enter the weekend just a half game back of the final Wild Card spot, as he takes the top spot in Week 23 of our #HighFive.
1. LaMonte Wade Jr.
Numbers do not lie and for San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. they tell the story of how he is one of the most clutch players in the Majors.
LaMonte Wade Jr Hit His Second Walk-Off In Three Games!! This Bro Is Catching Fire At The Right Time 🔥
Wade, who hit the first home run of his career four years ago today (September 15th, 2019) hit two walk-offs this week beginning with a 10th inning game-winning single Monday night then a game-winning sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in Wednesday afternoon’s finale.
Wade now has a career batting average of .611 when the game is tied in the ninth inning or later, which is one of the highest in the Majors over the last 50 years.
Through the first two weeks of September, Wade has hit in eight of nine games for a .400 average, .441 on base percentage, with five RBI and a home run.
His Giants look to take advantage of their competition during a four-game set in Denver this weekend against the Rockies who have one of the worst records in the Majors.
2. Marcus Semien
Marcus Semien continued to add to an historic season for himself and the Texas Rangers. Sunday afternoon, Semien hit his 8th leadoff home run of the season, setting a new franchise record by passing former second baseman Ian Kinsler. He would finish that game going 4-for-5 at the plate with his second multi-homer game in four calendar days, three RBI and a stolen base to help drag the Rangers out of a slump that had lingered since the team returned from the All-Star Break.
Semien is leading all Major League second baseman in hits, triples, doubles, runs and is second in home runs and RBI.
The Rangers took care of business in hostile territory by winning their series against Toronto this week and now take a flight to Cleveland to face the Guardians as they look to keep their latest hot streak going despite the recent losses of Max Scherzier and Adolis Garcia.
3. Hunter Greene “Machine”
Major League Baseball’s best flamethrower occupies a spot on the #HighFive list for a second time since returning from a month and a half long stint on the Injured List a few weeks ago. Greene struck out nine in six innings of one-run ball Sunday afternoon against Jordan Walker’s St. Louis Cardinals.
He allowed only one hit and walked four to earn the fourth win of his sophomore campaign.
“If you were to ask Hunter he probably would say he was not at his best,” said Reds veteran Joey Votto. “Still, he only gave up one hit, that is how good he is.”
Cincinnati will need one of their young pitchers to assert themselves as an Ace down the stretch and through their first playoff run since 2020. Greene is the perfect guy for the job, but for him, his best ability will be his availability. His next start will be under the bright lights of New York against the Mets Friday night.
4. Tommy Pham “Bam”
Last season Tommy Pham made headlines with the “Slap heard around the world” after his disagreement with Joc Peterson over fantasy football. Now when you mention his name, it’s in the conversation concerning the best trade deadline acquisition any team had.
Since joining the D-Backs, Pham has fit into their puzzle perfectly. Penciling his right-handed power bat third in the order has given a young Diamondbacks lineup a dose of depth and versatility.
Tommy Pham Wasn't The Sexiest Pickup During Trade Deadline | But He Was The Veteran Bat Arizona Needed
This week Pham got his vengeance against the Mets, the team who traded him earlier this season. In the first three games of the series, he was 5-for-12 with a home run, two RBI and two steals. Pham is hitting .333 with three home runs, three stolen bases, six RBI and has a .700 slugging percentage over his last seven games.
5. Josh Naylor
Injuries derailed what was shaping up to be Josh Naylor’s best year of his career, but he got back to his pre–All-Star Break form to take the final spot on our #HighFive list after putting up some impressive numbers this week.
On Monday night, Naylor drove his 17th Bro bomb of the season deep into the San Francisco night sky and into the waters of McCovey Cove. Those were just two of his 88 RBI; a number that would be higher had it not been for him missing the entire month of August with injury.
Those total ranks him fifth amongst all Major League first baseman. Over his last seven games Naylor has a .320 batting average with two steals, eight RBI, two home runs, three walks and four runs scored. The time is now or never if the Guardians want to earn themselves a playoff spot.
They enter the weekend 7.5 games behind the Twins for the final playoff spot.
The San Francisco Giants are fighting to make a wild card spot this season. It’s going to be a close battle in the National League and the Giants are going to continue to look for LaMonte Wade Jr. to set the tone at the top of the lineup.
Wade had his struggles at the plate this past week and a half, but the 29-year-old has had some success as of late.
He recently hit consecutive home runs this past Saturday and Monday.
On August 19, Wade became the sixth Giant to hit a first-pitch leadoff home run since 2000. He also went 2-for-4 that game as well.
Prior to that game, he was hitless for six consecutive games. And during the month of August, he’s been hitting right above that .230 average.
A few months ago, Wade was doing damage at the plate. In May, he hit .292 and had 28 hits, which is the most hits he’s had in a month this season.
This time of the season is always an exciting time because you have teams that are fighting to make the playoffs. And this is when teams want their players to step up and deliver when their number is called.
Wade is in his third year with the Giants and this season he will reach a career-high in games played with them.
He is a player who is valued in San Francisco and the team knows how much of an impact he can be on the field.
Through 108 games this season, Wade is hitting .259 with 13 home runs and 35 RBI.
The Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks are neck and neck and are both fighting for that second place spot in the NL West and they are fighting for that wild card spot too.
Wade has only appeared in the postseason one time in his career, and that was with the Giants during the 2021 season. He only recorded one hit in 10 plate appearances.
He can go on to have a productive career with the Giants and be an integral part to the team’s future.
There’s no question that Wade wants to get back to the postseason and produce for his team on that stage.
But to get to the postseason, he will have to continue to be consistent at the plate and display that power from the left hand side and the Giants will need to turn things around sooner rather than later, because at this point, every game is critical.
With how the Dodgers are playing right now, it looks like they have the division secured, but there still is a lot of season left and anything can happen.
We will get a chance to see how Wade performs these next few months and if he can help his team get back to postseason play.
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