When Aaron Loup walked out the door in search of greener pastures (to the tune of a $17 million deal with those folks out at Disneyland in Anaheim), the Mets were crushed given his otherworldly performance during the 2021 season. He finished the year with numbers almost never before seen -- a 6-0 record, a 0.95 ERA a WHIP of 0.935 with a total of over 1 strikeout per inning pitched and just over 2 walks per 9 IP. Wow!
However, while folks entertained fantasies about some of the big name relievers out there seeking a new job like Kenley Jansen or possibly available in trade like Josh Hader, the Mets did not make any of these headline-grabbing moves. They did supplement the pen with reliever Adam Ottavino and made a last minute trade of Miguel Castro for Joely Rodriguez. For the most part fans and media seemed to feel Billy Eppler was asleep at the wheel while the relief corps was destined to careen off the road to the post season.
Lost somewhere in this minor shuffle was the return to health for a promising but oft-injured Drew Smith. For his career Smith boasts some nice numbers -- a 4-3 record and a 2.93 ERA -- but no one really figured on him being more than a depth piece for 2022. However, thus far by close of business Wednesday he sports a 6 game record with a perfect 0.00 ERA, is striking out more than one per inning pitched and offering up a similar 2.5 walks per 9 IP to what they lost when Loup went to the Angels. His WHIP is an unheard of 0.750 and he's thus far only allowed 3 hits over nearly 7 innings of work. Who saw that coming?
For all of the moaning about Loup, what righty Smith is providing to the Mets is a replacement for the 8th inning feats of also-departed Jeurys Familia. We all remember the kind of pitcher he used to be during his All Star season with 51 saves all the way back in 2015. In his role as a setup man he was far less impressive. Since adopting that new function he has posted some mediocre numbers. The record is noteworthy at 23-12, but his ERA is 4.18, his WHIP an ugly 1.451 and he's walking nearly 5 batters per 9 IP. Right now Buck Showalter has to look at the long track records of Ottavino and Trevor May before deciding to commit to Smith as the direct support prior to Edwin Diaz, but unlike many Mets managers of the past, Showalter seems to learn from his mistakes.
Right now just enjoy the show Drew Smith provides when he's summoned to the hill. At age 28 and apparently healthy for the first time in a long time it appears he's ready to cement himself into being a vital cog in the team's success. Ever since the Mets received him in a deal for former slugger Lucas Duda he's shown himself to be one of their rare good value returns via trade.
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