SF Giants: 3 Reasons to be Excited About LaMonte Wade Jr

The SF Giants continued adding depth to their big-league roster last week when they acquired outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr from the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Shaun Anderson. While the 27-year old is far from an impact player, the left-handed bat offers plenty of versatility. Defensively,  Wade has MLB experience at every outfield spot and first base. He also has another year of options remaining, allowing the Giants to send him to the minor leagues without exposing him to waivers.

During a videoconference with reporters before the trade, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi suggested the team was still looking to add a left-handed hitting outfielder. While many fans hoped that implied a run at free-agent outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr, most have come to expect Zaidi to target players like Wade, who have intriguing profiles, but minimal track records.

SF Giants acquire OF LaMonte Wade Jr from Minnesota Twins.

Drafted in the ninth round of the 2011 draft by the Twins out of the University of Maryland, Wade has never posted exceptional numbers but maintained consistent above-average play at nearly every stop in his career. Given Zaidi’s success with minor acquisitions like Donovan Solano, Mike Yastrzemski, and Alex Dickerson, he’s earned a fair amount of trust on these minor moves.

Furthermore, while the Giants had to trade minor pieces to acquire Yaz and Dickerson, Anderson might be the most substantive young player Zaidi has traded during his tenure in San Francisco. That suggests a fair amount of confidence in what Wade could become. A deeper dive reveals three big reasons why fans should be excited about the Giants’ recent acquisition.