MLB: 5 stats from 2016 that went largely overlooked
MLB is a game so rich in statistical analysis and selections that sometimes, for a casual fan to try and wrap their mind around the entire broad spectrum, it can seem somewhat overwhelming. However, anyone who follows pro baseball gets caught up in stats by some degree in some way, shape or form.
Everything in the game’s illustrious history is tracked and compartmentalized to be referenced in future telecasts, articles, books and conversations. It’s one of the few sports where the numbers beyond the box score are emphasized so much that a critically acclaimed Hollywood film was actually made about them.
From 2016, a number of statistics stand out. Jose Altuve compiled 200+ hits for his third consecutive year. DJ LeMahieu, not a household name by any means, was crowned the MLB batting champ after hitting .348, despite his previous season high being only .301 in 2015.
Pitching-wise, Justin Verlander rebounded to lead the AL in strikeouts (254), while his former teammate, Rick Porcello, led the AL in wins with Boston to capture his first Cy Young award.
These are some of the obvious individual stats that most keen fans are aware of. But there are always the outliers; stats on the fringe that make baseball all the more interesting and appealing to its diehard followers.
Be it by team or player, here are five MLB stats from 2016 that deserve more attention than they likely received in the last six months since the season concluded.
1. Ray of light for Tampa’s power bats
For the first time in their 19 year history as a MLB organization, the Tampa Bay Rays collectively passed 200 home runs as a team in 2016. Never before had it been done by this franchise, until last season.
The Rays had four players hit 20-plus long balls in yesteryear. In 2015, only Evan Longoria eclipsed that mark, swatting a meager 21.
He is the active franchise leader with 241 to his name and Longoria returned to form as the offensive juggernaut he was in years past, clearing the fence 36 times while driving in 98.
For a team playing at home in the domed pitcher’s park of Tropicana Field that had consistent success from 2008-13 following the small-ball blueprint under Joe Maddon on offense and largely getting by on the deftness of their staff, fans in Tampa surely appreciated the coming out party by their squad that hit the sixth most home runs in 2016.
Falling into place behind Longoria came a surprising turn from 26 -year-old Brad Miller, who didn’t have 30 cumulative home runs in his previous three seasons and 343 games in the league. Third was fellow newcomer Corey Dickerson with 24, followed by Logan Forsythe with 20. Though Forsythe won’t be returning for 2017, Steven Souza Jr. is another encouraging power bat in the lineup that hit 17 four baggers in only 430 at-bats last year.
As well, the Rays have added Colby Rasmus to the roster. He will hold down left field and has strong potential of reaching 20 HRs on the year for the fifth time in his career entering his age 30 season.
2. Toronto leads AL in multiple pitching categories
Switching directions from a team usually known for their pitching who hit the cover off the ball last year, the Toronto Blue Jays are typically a team known for their power bats and not so much a lights-out rotation.
Such was not the case in 2016. Toronto still pounded the ball with maximum force in 2016 by hitting 221 homers (4th in MLB), but pitching was the ultimate difference in their successes.
Amidst having the highest home games attendance by any American League club and drawing out over 3 million fans for the first time since 1993, household names like Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson surely played a factor, but the Blue Jays’ rotation quietly led the AL in a number of statistical categories.
They were first AL-wide in combined fWAR (15.3), first in ERA (3.64) and first in all of MLB in innings pitched (995.1) and quality starts (100). They finished second in wins (66) and FIP (4.05) in the AL. Manager John Gibbons certainly got a lot out of his staff in 2016, even with regression by Marcus Stroman.
Where Stroman regressed, Aaron Sanchez flourished and showed his legitimate ace potential over the course of 30 starts. He went 15-2, had the lowest ERA in the AL amongst starters at 3.00 and hitters had severe issues going deep off him, attributing to his 0.7 HR/9 mark, another league best.
Sanchez finished seventh in AL Cy Young voting and the rotation also had exemplary contributions from Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ, who had a career year at 33 by posting a personal best 4.4 WAR on his own.
3. Nelson Cruz has three straight 40+ HR seasons
From 2011-2013, no one hit more home runs in baseball than Miguel Cabrera with 118. From 2014-16, Seattle’s Nelson Cruz leads the way with 127 over a similar three-year stretch.
Since the Baltimore Orioles took a chance on a one-year deal with him back in 2014, Cruz’s boomstick has not faltered. He led the AL that season with 40 and is the only active MLBer with a consecutive streak of two or more seasons boasting 40-plus in an annual campaign.
Despite a move to Safeco Field where players’ power numbers typically plummet, Cruz hasn’t skipped a beat, having hit 34 of his 87 home runs as a Mariner at home.
Surely his production raises some eyebrows. Prior to going deep 40 times with the O’s at age 33, Cruz had never clubbed more than 33 in a season, dating back to his 2009 season with the Texas Rangers.
If no other developments occur, baseball has to continue to give him the benefit of the doubt and embrace his boomstick the same way M’s fans have since management inked him to a four-year, $57 million deal after his breakthrough season in Baltimore.
4. Brandon Guyer can really step into a pitch
It’s not a highly coveted stat line to be recognized for, though it should be in some circles. It requires a lot of testicular fortitude to step in front of a 95 mph big league fastball and take one for the team, and the act itself has real world relevance in the metaphor used commonly outside of sports situations.
Brandon Guyer did some impressive things with his extremities and torso in 2016, without even having to swing the bat. Though the utility man did slash .266/.372/.423 with nine home runs and 32 RBI across 293 at-bats, he also was hit by a pitch on 31 separate occasions.
Those 32 beans certainly helped boost his OBP, and Guyer wore 24 pitches the year before in 2015. He’s led the league in that category two years in a row now, despite not being an everyday player.
His 31 HBP in 2016 was — get this — the fourth highest total by any hitter since 1950. And all the names above him on that list registered well over 450 at-bats in their respective body-battered seasons.
Guyer will remain with the Tribe in 2017 and Terry Francona should give the grinder his fair share of playing time in the outfield. It certainly paid off for Cleveland after he was acquired at the 2016 trade deadline. Guyer finished second on the team in postseason runs scored with six and shocker, was hit by a pitch on two occasions.
5. Mike Trout leads baseball in runs scored (again)
His name has been either No. 1 or 2 on the AL MVP ballot every year since his rookie season. Twice a winner now, Mike Trout has re-defined the the game of baseball and everything that comes with it. From being uber talented, humble, hard-working and having grown up in a state where playing outdoor baseball 365 days a year just isn’t possible, he is sharply poised on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
The Millville Meteor is shining brighter than ever. He does a lot of things great, but the one thing he does better than anyone else in baseball is run the base paths to completion.
Whichever team touches home plate more times wins the game. In that essence; Statcast and advanced analytics and Sabermetrics be damned, baseball is a simple game. For the third time in his last five seasons, Trout led MLB in runs scored and the American League in four of the last five. 2016 was his fifth consecutive season scoring 100-plus runs (123).
Next: 2016 AL ERA champ to make league minimum base salary in 2017
Since 2012, only two MLBers have scored over 500 runs — Trout (580) and Ian Kinsler (501). Rickey Henderson is the all-time career leader in runs. In his first five full seasons through his age 24 campaign, he crossed home plate 473 times for an average of 95 per year. Trout is currently pacing himself at an average of 116 R per year, just now entering his age 25 season.