MM 9.16: LaMonte Wade Jr. hits first career MLB home run

Four years removed from his Maryland baseball career, outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. hit his first career MLB home run Sunday.

It’s been an up-and-down year for Wade thus far, as the 25-year-old is in his third MLB stint with the Minnesota Twins after being demoted twice throughout the summer.

He was drafted in the ninth round of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft following his junior season in College Park, and he immediately dominated rookie ball. He started the 2016 season for A-level Fort Myers, and two years later, he made it to Triple-A Rochester.

So far in his rookie season — though he won’t have enough service time to exhaust his rookie eligibility in 2019 — Wade is slashing .120/.371/.240 with a .611 OPS, a .304 wOBA and an 87 wRC+ across 35 plate appearances.

While his major-league numbers may not be terrific in a handful of at-bats, Wade has at a solid season with the Rochester Red Wings. There, he posted a .392 on-base percentage, posting a .748 OPS with a .347 wOBA and a 104 wRC+.

The plate discipline is certainly there for Wade, as his walk rates have been through the roof at every level of his career. He also has the speed and tools to be a good fielder and baserunner, showing his versatility by playing all three outfield positions. The knock against Wade has been his lack of power, but if all goes well, he can still carve out a nice role for himself in MLB going forward.

In other news

Then-No. 21 and currently-unranked Maryland football had a tumultuous weekend:

• Maryland lost to Temple in Philadelphia, 20-17, failing to capitalize on a number of opportunities.
• I gave my biggest takeaways from the upset defeat, including the overall poor showing from the offense.
• Following the loss, the Terps fell out of the AP Top 25, and they didn’t receive a single vote.
• Despite the letdown, there were still some great sights from Lincoln Financial Field — Sarah showcased her best photos of the afternoon.

While the football team failed to record a victory, the remaining fall sports in College Park picked up the slack:

• No. 4 Maryland field hockey did what it nearly always does. The Terps had a 2-0 weekend at the Terrapin Invitational, beating No. 6 Virginia in a shootout and dominating James Madison en route to a 4-0 victory.
• Maryland women’s soccer’s Ray Leone has reached a milestone, as the Terps’ 3-0 win over Princeton gave the head coach his 300th career win.
• Maryland volleyball had a bounceback weekend, taking two of three matches at the Maryland Invitational.
• In a rematch of last year’s College Cup final, Maryland men’s soccer took a 1-0 victory over Akron.

Stefon Diggs may have only caught one pass on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, but the former Terp made it count.

Torrey Smith announced his retirement on Friday, and Maryland football made a tribute video to celebrate his athletic career.

Maryland men’s basketball had some fun over the weekend, as the team played some paintball.

Maryland women’s basketball’s Kaila Charles is going to be training with Team USA in Miami.

Check out some Maryland football tweets.