MLB: 5 stats from 2016 that went largely overlooked

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.