Why LaMonte Wade Jr. is doing more work with MLB players’ union

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — LaMonte Wade Jr. doesn’t watch baseball in his free time, at least not besides his Maryland Terrapins.

But the San Francisco Giants first baseman can say this season he will be more involved in the sport than ever before. Wade, 30, was elevated to become the team’s player representative with the union, the role Austin Slater previously held, acting as a funnel for any labor issues raised by the rest of the roster.

When Slater, the Giants’ player rep since 2020, took on a more powerful post last year as one of eight members of the pension committee, Wade voiced an interest in replacing him as their next player rep. A late bloomer, Wade won’t reach free agency until he is 32 years old, meaning he has a special interest in the system that pays players their first six years in the majors.

“I just really want to look out for the young guys, 0-3 (years of service time), also the older guys as well, but mainly the younger guys that have concerns and stuff,” Wade said. “Just be there for them, answer questions and bring their voice and their concerns to the table. … I just see myself. I feel like I was one of those guys just like them, grinding and trying to make it up here and find a way to stick.”

A desire to help young players should be especially beneficial in the Giants clubhouse, which had 12 rookies debut last season and has 18 more in their first big-league camp this spring. Wade was 26 and had yet to latch on in the majors when he saw the Minnesota Twins’ player rep do the same for him.

That player?

Taylor Rogers, now in the same clubhouse again.

“I found myself on the phone with him practically every day,” Wade said, because their union reps were the ones going over return-to-play plans and health protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Just talking to him and picking his brain about that, it really inspired me to one day be in this role. I was just grateful to have somebody like Taylor to be able to answer those questions. I just want to be that same guy for our team.”

In a baseball clubhouse, where tradition rules all, there is a process to these things.

As Rogers put it, “It’s old school.”

First, an interested player must be nominated by one of his teammates. The rest of the room is allowed to submit their own nominees. Then, it goes to a vote.

Of course, it was Rogers who put Wade’s name into the hat. He wasn’t the only candidate, but the vote consolidated quickly.

“I wanted to nominate him, basically, because he took an interest back then,” Rogers said. “Always asked good questions. I just thought it would be just a good thing for us to have him in that role.”

As far as his role on the field, Wade would like a larger opportunity there, too.

From his days as “Late Night LaMonte” in 2021, his battles through injuries in 2022 and his resurgent 2023 as one of the league’s top on-base machines, Wade’s chances have been mostly constrained to when he has the platoon advantage.

The stats back up his usage under former manager Gabe Kapler.

All but one of his 45 career home runs have come against right-handed pitchers, and his .803 OPS against righties dwarfs the .497 mark he’s posted against left-handers.

While their new manager, Bob Melvin, is less dogmatic when it comes to gaining the platoon advantage, he’s not rigid in the other direction, either. The Giants plan to cover right field with the tandem of Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater, and the additions of Matt Chapman and Jorge Soler only increase the odds that Wade continues to share time at first. Those at-bats look to be some of the only ones available to J.D. Davis and Wilmer Flores.

Primarily playing first base was something new to Wade, who was a center fielder at Maryland before shifting to the corners in pro ball. He could still see time in the outfield, Melvin said, with the not-so-durable duo of Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto representing their other best left-handed hitting options.

Nineteen players logged at least 800 innings at first base in 2023, and Wade’s .989 fielding percentage ranked 19th among the group. Of the Giants’ league-leading 113 errors, he was responsible for 10. His athleticism didn’t translate the way the Giants expected, but there are signs of progress this spring.

In the first week of Cactus League play, Wade has wowed on separate occasions, one time leaning over the dugout railing to reel in a foul pop-up while battling the sun, then backhanding a hard-chopper destined for the outfield grass and tossing to the pitcher to escape a jam with runners in scoring position.

“You know, he’s very comfortable there now,” Melvin said. “All of my experience, up until last year, was seeing him in the outfield. But he’s really comfortable at first base and most of his reps going to be there.”