The 2016 stats show how frustrating of a season it was for the A’s starting rotation, but out of that mess came signs of promise.
Kendall Graveman took a big step forward in his second big league season and led Oakland’s staff in victories and innings pitched. Sean Manaea improved over the course of his rookie campaign and showed flashes of why the A’s are so high on him. Jharel Cotton, in his September audition, positioned himself well to win a spot in this year’s rotation.
Those developments were the positives to be salvaged for a starting staff that posted the second highest ERA in the American League (4.