This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. MLB.com's Bill Ladson contributed this report.

A day before suffering a left hamstring injury, LaMonte Wade Jr. sat down with MLB.com's Bill Ladson at Citi Field and answered a wide range of topics, from his consistency at the plate in 2024 to his love for baseball.

MLB.com: Entering this week, you are having your best season to date when it comes to batting average and on-base percentage. Why have you been consistent at the plate this year?

LaMonte Wade: Having strike-zone discipline. … I’m laying off pitches I can’t really handle. I feel I’m getting good pitches to hit, waiting them out and taking my walks when I can.

MLB.com: Who do you credit for your success at the plate?

Wade: I have my hitting coach Matt Swope [head baseball coach at the University of Maryland]. I’ve been hitting with him since 2021 during the offseason. He is the one I talk to the most -- pretty much every single day about what’s going on. Also, between Matt Swope, the hitting coaches with the Giants and Barry Bonds on the field at home … I've taken nuggets from everybody.

MLB.com: What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from all those hitting experts?

Wade: No. 1, to own the zone, stay inside that zone and not try to do too much. With Swope, we would be here all day talking about the mechanics that we went through. Right now, it’s a mindset. "Are you swinging at the right pitches and not trying to do too much?"

MLB.com: You are 30 years old. Do you ask yourself, "How come I couldn’t do this five years ago?"

Wade: Yes. Sometimes. It’s like, at 25, when I made my debut, I wish I was patient. I would get upset over an at-bat and let that at-bat affect the next three at-bats, sometimes. I wish I had the patience with myself that I do now. … I remember in 2021, I was going up to [Brandon] Crawford, Buster Posey and Evan Longoria and asking those guys questions. I’m at that point where I have a little more feel … for certain things. I really do wish sometimes I could have had that when I was a little younger.

MLB.com: Teammates Patrick Bailey and Matt Chapman said recently you are an underrated first baseman. We don’t talk about your defense very much. Your footwork is outstanding.

Wade: I credit a lot of that to [third-base coach] Matt Williams, [former Giants third-base coach] Ron Wotus, [first-base coach] Mark Hallberg and the guys. It started in Spring Training. We were just over there working a lot, talking things out. I learned a lot from those guys. Also, over the years, when Brandon Belt was here, I learned a lot from him. He is one of the best to do it over there. I was also picking his brain. … I learned a lot from those guys. I think I take a little bit from each and everybody that I encounter.

MLB.com: You mentioned the University of Maryland. That school must mean a lot to you.

Wade: Absolutely. If it wasn’t for the University of Maryland, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have been drafted. I wouldn’t have had a shot. I wasn’t drafted out of high school. I had to go to the University of Maryland. I had to work and perform. I owe everything to the University of Maryland. I always go back every offseason. That’s where I do my workouts. I work out with the team because they have a great group of guys. That team is on the rise for sure. I’m looking forward for them to do big things with Swope leading the way.

MLB.com: What is the biggest thing your father, LaMonte Wade Sr., taught you that you take in your life as an adult?

Wade: Treat people the way you want to be treated. Treat everybody with respect. Be a hard worker and never make any excuses.

MLB.com: Your love for baseball started by watching your mother play softball. Is that true?

Wade: Yes.

MLB.com: What did she do that impressed you?

Wade: I remember one time I was watching her play and she played the outfield. She could run a little bit. She ran full speed and hit this chain-link fence. I remember everyone just rushing out there to check on her and see if she was OK. I just remember when I got out there, she asked, “Did I catch the ball?” I’m like, “Come on, Ma.” I remember everyone started laughing. “No, you didn’t catch it. It went over the fence.” She just played the game hard. She loved playing. She was always smiling. She was always having fun. Her playing softball is what sparked me to play baseball. Also playing catch with my brother and dad all the time. My father got us into it as well.

MLB.com: How old were you when your mother ran into the fence?

Wade: It’s got to be elementary school.

MLB.com: I can imagine how your parents reacted when you made your Major League debut with the Twins.

Wade: They were excited. They were at the game. I came in as a pinch-hitter and I got hit by a pitch, and then I got sent back down not too long after. That day was special. I will never forget that day. It was perfect. My parents were there.