There are not many bright spots for the SF Giants right now, but one of them is their first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. It may not be saying a lot, but he has quietly become the best hitter on the team.

Thus far in 2024, Wade is slashing .347/.469/.440 with one home run and 8 RBI. The lack of power and slugging is why Wade’s numbers have largely flown under the radar. He is getting on base a lot with his 18 walks, but the Giants offense has proven to be very adept at leaving runners on base so they are not capitalizing on his his on base percentage.

These are encouraging numbers for Wade, though. We have seen him play for the Giants these last three seasons and we know that he is capable of hitting the ball out of the park. Last season he had 17 home runs and in 2021 he had 18 homers. It seems like it is just a matter of time before Wade starts to put up power numbers.

The problem is that no one else is pulling their weight at the plate. Thairo Estrada has started to heat up in the last week or two and Michael Conforto has been solid throughout the year, but there is just no consistency with this team on offense right now. Guys seem to have a good week or two and then begin to cool off.

Wade provides a good model for the rest of the team to follow. He is very patient at the plate which is why he draws so many walks. He waits for his one pitch and more often than not puts a good swing on it. He seems to be guessing right while much of the team is guessing wrong. How many times have we seen Giants hitters take pitches right down the middle for strike three this year? It feels like too many to count.

It is still early in the season and there is plenty of time to turn things around. However, the offensive situation seems pretty bleak right now. At least LaMonte Wade Jr. is doing well and perhaps, once the power comes along, he can be the catalyst for this team to get going at the plate.