Ranking Aaron Loup’s 3 Best Seasons So Far

“What we really liked about him are a multitude of things,” Minasian said after the Loup signing was announced. “Obviously, the production the last couple years and over the course of his career. For the most part, when he’s been out there, he’s been very productive. The ability to get both sides of the plate and not necessarily just left-on-left. … And then the guy. … He’s a beautiful human being.”

With Loup starting an exciting new chapter with the Angels, it seems like a good time to rank his best seasons so far.

Today, we’re going to pick his three best campaigns to this point in his career.

3. 2012 Season

The 2012 season was Loup’s rookie campaign, and it was an impressive year for him.

He broke into the big leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays.

He appeared in 33 games in 2012 and posted some outstanding numbers, including a 2.64 ERA, 1.92 FIP, and 0.91 WHIP.

The former ninth-round pick didn’t allow a home run in 30.2 innings of work.

He didn’t receive any votes in the Rookie of the Year race, but he definitely put the league on notice with his stellar year.

This particular season easily could have landed higher on this list had he made more than 33 appearances, but it was a great year for him regardless.

2. 2013 Season

Loup followed up his 2012 season with a great showing in 2013.

The Blue Jays gave him a much bigger workload this time around, as he made 64 appearances for a total of 69.1 innings.

He registered a 2.47 ERA, 3.32 FIP, and 1.14 WHIP.

He also racked up a bWAR of 1.6, which stands as the second-best mark of his career today.

By the end of Loup’s 2013 season, some folks were starting to take notice of him.

He was establishing himself as a top-notch reliever.

He did hit some rocky waters in the years that followed, but he was eventually able to get back on track and prove his worth again.

That leads us to the top spot on our list.

1. 2021 Season

For the No. 1 spot on this list, how could we possibly pick anything other than Loup’s 2021 season?

Not only was it a fantastic year for him — it was one of the best campaigns by any reliever in the past few years.

He maintained a minuscule 0.95 ERA across 65 appearances.

If that’s somehow not impressive enough, this will be: He finished the season with an ERA+ of 422, meaning he was 322 percent better than league average.

Unfathomable.

Loup didn’t receive any votes in the Cy Young race, but it definitely seems like he could’ve.

He was lights-out.

The southpaw will hope to continue his dominance in 2022 as he begins his new chapter with the Angels.

  Aaron Loup has played for five teams throughout his MLB career. Once the 2022 season rolls around, he’s going to make it six. The veteran signed a deal with the Los Angeles Angels last month. Loup is likely going to end up being a fantastic addition for an Angels club that has needed bullpen […]