Struggling Slugger Has Been Least Valuable Player for Giants This Season

The San Francisco Giants have been playing very well this season despite a recent sweep at the hands of the Detroit Tigers. However, they do have a glaring issue on the team that needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.

The Giants are a team that has been built on pitching well and playing good defense. So far, their gritty mindset has resulted in a lot of wins despite not being the most talented team in the league.

While the starting rotation as a whole hasn’t been elite, they do have a couple of good arms at the top of the unit. Furthermore, it has been the bullpen that has been lights out for most of the campaign, helping carry the team.

In the batting order, the unit has exceeded some expectations, but some key players need to start performing well.

Who Has Been Their Least Valuable Player?

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. being the least valuable player for the team thus far.

“Wade has just been a mess at first base, with a .533 OPS to go along with four errors. If he doesn't get right soon, San Francisco and Boston could get into quite the bidding war for the best first baseman available this summer.”

Even though Wade has never been the most prolific hitter in his career, he has been much better than what he has shown during this campaign.

In 2025, he has slashed .171/.278/.279 with just one home run in 48 games. First base is far too important of a position to have someone performing as poorly as he has so far this season.

San Francisco’s top prospect Bryce Eldridge plays first base and is performing well in Double-A, but at just 20 years old with limited experience in the minors, rushing him up to the Majors might not be the answer.

If the Giants are going to be a true contender in 2025, they would be wise to address first base.

While they don’t need a long-term player with Eldridge hopefully taking over in 2026, they do need to improve the production on offense from the position.

Unfortunately, Wade has simply struggled for too long without showing many signs of coming out of the slump, and San Francisco needs to upgrade.

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