Player Data: Age: 33 (12/19/1987), B/T: L/L
Primary Stats: 65 G, 56 2/3 IP, 6-0 W/L record, 0.95 ERA, 0.935 WHIP, 57 K, 3.56 SO/BB
Advanced Stats: 2.8 bWAR, 1.6 fWAR, 422 ERA+, 2.45 FIP, 1.8 WPA (Baseball Reference), 1.50 WPA (FanGraphs)
2021 salary: $3 million
Grade: A+
2021 Review
Signed to a one-year deal after the 2020 season, Aaron Loup was never expected to be as good as he was in 2021. In fact, not only was Loup dominant from start to end this season, but he ended up producing one of the single-greatest seasons by a relief pitcher in franchise history. With a sub-1.00 ERA and WHIP, along with a perfect 6-0 record, Loup engraved his name as a key piece of the Mets bullpen.
As good as Loup’s season was, the ironic thing is that his first appearance of the season may have been his worst. Entering the ballgame in the eighth inning with the bases loaded, one out, and the Mets up 2-0, Loup proceeded to allow the following: HBP, single, fielder’s choice error, sacrifice fly, and groundout. By inning’s end, the Phillies were up 5-2 and Loup was responsible for the blown save. (However, he was off the hook for the loss as the go-ahead runs were put on base by Trevor May). Despite the mess, the error meant that Loup’s two allowed runs were both unearned – and he wouldn’t allow many earned runs over the entire season.
After that letdown of an Opening Day, Loup put together an almost perfect rest of April. From his second start of the season through month’s end, Loup tossed 4 2/3 scoreless frames, allowing just two hits and striking out seven batters.
In May, Loup still was not showing much sign of the elite pitcher he would soon become. He posted a 4.70 ERA over 7 2/3 innings in May, which included three consecutive appearances of allowing an earned run. In this stretch was a blown save in Atlanta in which he allowed three hits and a run. Two days later in Miami, he recorded a hold, although that came at the expense of allowing two hits and another run.
Once the calendar turned to June, Loup turned into one of the best relievers in all of baseball. His numbers in the month were simply absurd. He pitched 10 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits, one walk, and struck out 14 batters. He struck out at least one batter in all but one of his ten appearances in the month, and even put together a three inning, scoreless relief appearance in late June in Atlanta.
Beginning July on Independence Day in the Bronx, Loup allowed his first (and only) run of the entire month. From there on out until the end of July, Loup threw another ten scoreless frames, walking two, and striking out nine. July also saw Loup make a spot start against the Pirates, in which he threw two innings, allowing two hits and no runs. In the July 18 comeback win in Pittsburgh, Loup played a vital role, throwing two shutout innings in the fifth and sixth to keep the game within reach.
August was more of the same from Loup – sheer excellence. He pitched 11.0 innings, allowing just one run on what was his only allowed home run of the year, coming off the bat of Juan Soto. Despite that blemish, as well as a blown save in San Francisco in which his allowed double brought two inherited runners home, Loup was spotless all month.
The way Loup ended his 2021 season is a microcosm of the way he pitched all year long. He threw 11 2/3 innings in September, allowing no runs, yet again. He did blow a save on September 2 against the Marlins, but otherwise, Loup finished the year getting the job done. His ERA officially went below 1.00 on September 25, and it would stay that way through season’s end. Loup became one of just 13 relief pitchers in major league history to throw at least 50 innings and post an ERA below 1.o0.
2022 Outlook
A free agent this winter, Aaron Loup has already publicly said that he’d love to return to the Mets in 2022. While he is entering his age-34 season, the fact that he is coming off such a dominant season almost assures that he will draw significant interest from a handful of teams. That being said, his love for New York and the Mets is well-known, and the Mets will surely make him a priority this offseason. My guess is that Loup re-signs on a two-year deal, keeping him in Queens as one of the anchors of this bullpen.
