Aaron Loup endeared himself to the Flushing Faithful with his flawless pitching, nonchalant attitude, and insatiable thirst for Busch Lights.
But before he could produce an encore performance, he was whisked away to the West Coast. The lefty reliever is off to Anaheim after signing a two-year, $17 million contract with the Angels. Loup’s time in Queens may have been brief, but he’s not the first player to leave the Mets after just one season.
With Loup now out of the *ahem* loop, let’s revisit some of the best “One Year Wonders” in Mets history, players who left an impact despite only spending one season in the orange and blue.
Mike Hampton
Hampton may be the ultimate One Year Wonder in Mets history because of the infamous nature of his departure. When the Mets acquired Hampton from the Astros in 1999, he was fresh off a 22-win season that saw him finish second to Randy Johnson in Cy Young voting. Hampton reeled off 15 wins and posted a 3.14 ERA for the Mets in the 2000 regular season, then pitched the Mets into the World Series by shutting out the Cardinals over 16 combined innings in the NLCS.
Of course, Hampton did not return to the Mets, instead opting to sign an 8-year, $121 million contract with the Rockies — the largest in baseball history at the time. Hampton’s decision was understandable, but his claim that he had chosen Colorado for “the school system” was universally lambasted.
It wasn’t exactly a devastating loss for the Mets. Hampton floundered in his new surroundings, while the Mets received a compensation draft pick for his departure. They used that pick to take future captain David Wright with the 38th overall selection in 2001.
Darren Oliver & Chad Bradford
Today, the 2006 Mets are fondly remembered for their high-octane offense starring José Reyes, Carlos Beltrán, David Wright, and Carlos Delgado. That club won 97 games using a simple formula: score early, then shut out the opponent for the rest of the game. New York’s bullpen featured veteran long-man Darren Oliver, as well as Moneyball legend Chad Bradford.
Oliver shouldered a heavy workload that year, logging 81 innings during the regular season. He also made a 6-inning relief appearance in Game 3 of the 2006 NLCS. Oliver left the Mets via free agency that winter when he signed a one-year deal with the Angels.
Bradford was also highly effective for the ‘06 Mets, his lone season in New York. The submariner, who dipped so low with his delivery that he scraped the dirt of the mound with his knuckles, registered a 2.90 ERA over 70 appearances that season. He subsequently signed a three-year deal with the Orioles and would pitch in the majors until 2009.
The absences of Oliver and Bradford were felt in 2007, when bullpen implosion after bullpen implosion cost the Mets a 7-game division lead with 17 games left to play.
Xavier Nady
Another ‘06 Met who enjoyed a surprisingly short tenure with the team was Xavier Nady. The X-Man was well on his way to a career season in 2006, when he was slashing .264/.326/.487 with 14 homers and 40 RBIs through 75 games with the Mets.
Nady’s value to the lineup made him an enticing trade chip. The Duaner Sanchez cab accident left the pitching staff depleted, and the Mets responded by sending Nady to Pittsburgh for Oliver Pérez and Roberto Hernandez.
Nady put together two 20-homer seasons after his Mets departure, while Pérez endured a tumultuous Mets career that ended with his unconditional release in 2011.
Juan Uribe
Uribe was a member of two World Series championship teams (the 2005 White Sox and 2010 Giants), and he nearly added a third to that list with the 2015 Mets. Uribe arrived with fellow role player Kelly Johnson in a deadline deal with the Braves, the first in a series of moves that set the Mets up for their pennant run.
Though his overall numbers with the Mets don’t jump off the stat sheet (.219 AVG, .730 OPS in 44 games), Uribe did provide some of the team’s more memorable hits, including a walk-off against Kenley Jansen on July 26th.
Later in the season, Uribe and Michael Cuddyer (another One Year Wonder) both collected the 1,500th hits of their careers in the same game.
Omir Santos
After Paul Lo Duca played his final season as a Met in 2007, the club had a devil of a time finding a long-term solution at catcher. In 2009, a 28-year-old backstop with just 11 games of prior big league experience got a chance to replace the injured Brian Schneider.
Santos would not have even been a footnote in Mets history if not for the “O-miracle.” On May 23, 2009, the Mets were down to their final out at Fenway Park with All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon on the mound for the Red Sox. Santos clubbed the first pitch of the at-bat to deep left field, near the top of the Green Monster. Umpires initially ruled that the ball was in play, but further review determined that it was a two-run home run to give the Mets the lead.
Don’t believe baseball is a “game of inches”? Take a gander at this play:
Santos spent a few days on the Mets active roster the following year, but he never actually made a big league appearance that season. Despite a selection to the 2009 Topps All-Rookie team, Santos was essentially replaced by Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco in 2010.
Marlon Byrd
Byrd came to the Mets on a minor league deal in 2013 and surprised everyone by emerging as the team’s most dependable bat. The experienced outfielder led the team with 21 home runs and finished second to Daniel Murphy with 71 RBIs in the 117 games he played for New York.
When it became clear that the team wasn’t going anywhere, Sandy Alderson pulled the trigger on a deal to send Byrd and catcher John Buck to the Pirates.
The trade could not have been more awkwardly timed. On the very same day that Byrd was dealt to Pittsburgh, the Mets gave away Byrd-themed “Let It Fly” t-shirts as a promotional event at Citi Field.
Searle’s Final Say
Sometimes a quick stop in Flushing is all it takes for a player to leave a lasting impression. These One Year Wonders weren’t Mets for long, but they made the most of their time in the orange and blue. Click here to learn about historic milestones reached by short-term Mets.
Who are your favorite Mets “One Year Wonders”? Sound off in the comments below!
