LaMonte Wade Jr.’s first 16 at bats haven’t gone well. But it’s literally just 16 at bats. How bad could it be?
Did you know that the hitting line for the San Francisco Giants through their first five games (4-1) in 2025 is .206/.269/.382? It sure doesn’t seem like it. They seem like a juggernaut. Looking at that line and it’s clear that what’s missing from that .651 OPS is LaMonte Wade Jr.’s OBP. Is there a reason why the on base machine has started the year 0-for-16?
Yeah, we’re talking about a 5-game sample here. It’s not nearly the end of the world. In fact, I’m being the alarmist here. I’ve seen what Wilmer Flores has done! I’ve seen what Heliot Ramos can do to right-handed pitching! I want to believe! None of these small sample size shenanigans could be meaningful. Perhaps not even a portent of things to come. LaMonte Wade Jr.’s missing OBP probably won’t stay missing. There are literally 157 games remaining.
But what if it did stay missing?
We don’t have to put much stock in a 5-game sample for any team or any player, but we can identify data points to keep an eye on. Here’s a meaningful one for LWJ: his bat speed.
Right now, Statcast is showing an average of 71.2 mph for Wade Jr.’s swing. Last year, it was 72.4 mph and in 2023 (the first year it was provided to the public), 72.8 mph. So, at least a full mph off on his swing to start the season (16 plate appearances, 34 swings), which to me sounds a little troubling as you’d figure a hitter to be at their most energized coming out of Spring Training.
Just to put bat speed in perspective: last year’s leader was Giancarlo Stanton at 81.2 mph. Matt Chapman placed 6th at 76.6 mph and Heliot Ramos was 15th at 75.2 (the beleaguered Jorge Soler was just ahead of him at 75.4, tied with Juan Soto). Stanton was #1 in 2023 as well at 81.1 mph. Ramos was 17th at 75.2 mph, tied with Juan Soto. Matt Chapman was on the Blue Jays and placed 7th with 76.3 mph, trailing Shohei Ohtani and Julio Rodriguez (tied at 76.5 mph). LWJ’s average bat speeds for 2023 and 2024 placed him at 84th and 74th, respectively, and among a group that includes (across both years) the likes of Anthony Santander, Salvador Perez, Mitch Haniger, MJ Melendez, Josh Naylor, J.D. Martinez, and Randy Arozarena.
In the early going of 2025, Junior Caminero of the Rays leads the sport at 80.3 mph. Chapman’s 75.6 mph is 22nd. Heliot Ramos is 74.3 mph (44th). So, right away, I’m seeing that the small sample fluctuation coming out of the early going — both Chapman and Ramos being down as well — doesn’t necessarily mean what I fear it means. Still, LWJ’s bat speed has him in the Manual Margot-Patrick Bailey zone of not good hitters. On the other hand, that’s where Francisco Lindor and Cedric Mullins are. Cody Bellinger isn’t much more ahead of him (71.4 mph).
So, bat speed isn’t everything. On the other hand, for a left-handed non-slugger like Wade Jr., maybe it sorta is? Every mph on that swing could make a difference. Mainly, though, it’s the lack of walks that compounds the issue. Last season, he had just 1 walk and 8 strikeouts through the Giants’ first 5 games — BUT! He was also 6-for-16 with a double. So, I don’t think this is a pitch selection situation or a problem with passivity. He’s definitely being aggressive in the count.
When you consider his injury history, age, and general profile (on base guy who doesn’t hit for much power), there’s always a chance that this is the year he simply turns to dust because baseball is cruel like that. It would make perfect Baseball Sense if it wasn’t Wilmer Flores who wilted but instead his platoon partner. On the other hand — bro, calm down, it’s just 5 games. Let’s bookmark this post to come back to in a month or so and laugh. It’s an impossibly small sample size on which to base a prediction. So instead, I’ll restate the point: let’s keep an eye on that bat speed.