I considered making Conor Gillaspie the best thing to happen to the Giants in 2016, but if we really look at his contributions, as helpful as that 100 OPS+ was, it all came down to playoff heroics. That’s not a bad thing, but because the Giants’ season didn’t end with a World Series, it’s hard to look at those heroics as the best thing.
Madison Bumgarner had, by virtue of a 146 ERA+ and 226.2 IP, the best and longest regular season of his career. He even pitched another darling Wild Card game.