San Francisco Giants On-Base Threat Cracks Top Half of First Baseman Rankings

Of the many first basemen that the San Francisco Giants employed in 2024, one stood out above the rest.

Sep 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (31) fouls off a pitch and breaks his bat against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

San Francisco Giants infielder LaMonte Wade Jr. is relatively unknown around the league.

He was not selected as a high draft pick, as he was taken in the ninth round. He was a Top 30 prospect for the Minnesota Twins at one time. He has hit double-digit home runs twice in his career, but both times were less than 20.

Despite not being a household name nationwide, what Wade has done as a role player for the Giants has made him a household name in the Bay Area. The veteran has played many positions in his time with the club, but in 2024, most of his time in the field came by manning first base.

Wade will turn 31 on New Year's Day, and Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report gave the role player an early birthday present. In Reuter's last first base power rankings of 2024, Wade cracked the top 20 and landed at 17th. Reuter wrote that Wade's ability to get on base was a critical factor in the ranking.

While he lacks prototypical power for a first baseman, Wade has developed into an elite on-base threat, hitting .260/.380/.381 for a 121 OPS+ with 24 extra-base hits in 401 plate appearances in 2024. The 30-year-old is entering a contract year and provides some additional value with his ability to also play a corner outfield spot.

For his career, Wade carries a 12.7% walk rate, well above the 8.5% league average during his time in the Majors. Over the last three years, Wade has improved his walk rate in each, with 10.4% in 2022, 14.6% in 2023, and 15.5% in 2024, with his 2024 walk rate falling in the 99th percentile across MLB per Baseball Savant.

While the veteran is capable of playing either corner outfield position or first base, he has not fared well defensively and is probably best suited for first. He carries a career minus-11 Outs Above Average for every position, with minus-4 coming this year and minus-3 of that coming at first base. That total ranks him 28th among all first basemen.

You do not need a Gold Glove candidate at first base. The rest of San Francisco's infield defense makes up for the lack of defensive ability Wade provides.

With the veteran entering a contract year, it will be interesting to see how well he performs in 2025, as most players tend to outperform their abilities when a new contract is on the line.