After crushing end to '21, Wade off to smashing start in '22

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Turns out Late Night LaMonte can be pretty good in the early afternoons, too.

LaMonte Wade Jr., who earned his nickname due to his penchant for delivering clutch late-inning hits last year, got off to a fast start in Cactus League play Saturday, doubling and homering in the Giants’ 8-5 win over the Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

Wade, who batted leadoff and started in left field, pulled Rockies right-hander Frank Duncan’s first pitch of the game down the right-field line for a double and then advanced to third base on a fielding error by Tim Lopes. Wade stayed hot in his second at-bat, crushing a solo shot out to right-center field for his first home run of the spring.

“Especially the last couple of days, with a lot of ABs and not making contact, coming out here to put the ball on the bat felt pretty good today,” Wade said.

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It’s been a little over a year since the Giants acquired Wade from the Twins in exchange for Shaun Anderson, a move that set the stage for a breakout season for the 28-year-old left-handed hitter. Wade hit .253 with an .808 OPS and 18 home runs over 109 games, carving out a key role with the National League West champion Giants.

Despite his success, Wade remains haunted by his final at-bat of the decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers. With the Giants trailing, 2-1, and a runner on base in the bottom of the ninth inning, Wade came up to pinch-hit against Max Scherzer and came close to delivering a walk-off home run, though his drive ended up hooking just foul. Wade ultimately struck out against Scherzer, who went on to close out L.A.'s victory.

“Honestly, when I first got home, all I could think about for those first two weeks was that Scherzer at-bat,” Wade said. “I lost a lot of sleep over that. But it also helped motivate me through the offseason, and make these cues and get better and improve myself. That at-bat, I grew from it, I learned from it. I look forward to that at-bat this year.”

Manager Gabe Kapler said he thought it was important for Wade to get off to a strong start this spring, especially since the Giants have quite a few outfielders competing for at-bats, including Mike Yastrzemski, Steven Duggar, Darin Ruf, Austin Slater and Joc Pederson.

“I think it was a big boost of confidence,” Kapler said of Wade’s performance. “LaMonte was right on time today. He continues to demonstrate that ability to kind of stop his swing and restart it on offspeed. That’s not what’s actually happening, but he’s got this really cool recognition thing that happens, and he can still get the barrel on those pitches. Nice to see him square up a fastball and an offspeed today.”

Wade was one of four Giants to homer Saturday, joining Duggar and non-roster invitees Ricardo Genovés and Wyatt Mathisen.

Rodón impresses in live BP
Left-hander Carlos Rodón threw two simulated innings during his first live batting practice session at Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday, flashing his explosive fastball and slider, as well as his curveball, which he feels remains a work in progress. Rodón threw his curveball only 1.7 percent of the time last season with the White Sox, but he’s hoping the pitch becomes a greater part of his arsenal this spring.

“In the bullpen, it was really good,” Rodón said of his curveball. “It’s a little different when a hitter gets up there. You get a little geeked. Just trying to control that. It’s going to take a couple of times. Just keep throwing it and it’ll eventually stick.”

Kapler said he was impressed with what he saw from Rodón, who is expected to be another frontline starter for the Giants after signing a two-year, $44 million deal earlier this month.

“Carlos looked amazing,” Kapler said. “A lot of life on the fastball. That fastball was beating hitters in the zone, in the middle of the zone. That’s a great sign. Throwing a ton of strikes. About as good as we could have hoped for.”