[quote name='dmaul1114']I've never got the obsession people have with strike outs. Example, while he's sucking it up this year, Adam Dunn has had a solid career and he's struck out in around 34% of his ABs over his career to date.
An out is an out. Sure, if you put the ball in play good things can happen. But so can bad things like double plays.
So I don't worry about strike outs so much as long as the batting average, power numbers etc. are good.[/QUOTE]
Dunn struck out in 27% of his PA before this season; he's struck out in 36% of his PA this season. Also, he averaged 40 HR for a seven year period, and also walked in 16% of PA. Kipnis does not project to have anywhere near 40 HR power, nor did he display 100 BB plate discipline in the minors.
Simply put, if you strike out over 25% of your PA, you'd better hit for a lot of power and take some walks, otherwise you aren't going to be very effective. The average BABIP for major league players tends to be about .300. Batting average for strikeouts: .000. Strikeouts absolutely lower your overall offensive production.