It took 133 summers of major league baseball, but in 2008, a batter finally struck out 200 times in a single season. Although Phillies slugger Ryan Howard flirted with the 200 plateau the last two years, fanning 199 times in both 2007 and 2008, it was a prospect playing his second big league season who broke 200 and stole this year’s strikeout title from Howard.

Arizona’s Mark Reynolds posted 204 strikeouts in 613 plate appearances. That’s one strikeout for every three trips to the plate, a 3.00 PA-K ratio that was the worst among all major leaguers who qualified for the batting title in 2008.

Lowest PA-K Ratio by Hitter, 2008
(min 502 PA)

Player. . . . . . . . . . . . PA. . . . . . .K. . . . . . PA-K
Mark Reynolds, Ari. . . .613. . . . . .204. . . . . .3.00
Jack Cust, Oak. . . . . . 598. . . . . .197. . . . . .3.04
Ryan Howard, Phi. . . . 700. . . . . .199. . . . . .3.52
Mike Cameron, Mil. . . .508. . . . . .142. . . . . .3.58
Dan Uggla, Fla. . . . . . . 619. . . . . .171. . . . . .3.62

Reynolds and Oakland’s Jack Cust easily led all qualifiers in strikeout frequency. At least Howard, who finished second to Reynolds in strikeouts, managed to limit the third strike to once in every 3.52 plate appearances.

History suggests high strikeout rates usually come with an upside. Since the end of the dead-ball era in 1919, individual seasons or periods of climbing strikeout rates have often gone hand-in-hand with more runs per game and loftier slugging percentages.

That’s certainly been the story through two rounds of expansion in the last 15 years. Last season’s strikeout leaders are among the game’s top run producers. Howard led the majors by large margins with 48 home runs and 146 RBIs. Florida’s Dan Uggla, who finished fourth among major leaguers with 171 strikeouts, also stroked 32 homers. Among all middle infielders, only Chase Utley (33) and Hanley Ramirez (33) had more. Uggla and Utley were the only middle infielders to score 90 runs and drive in 90.

Major league hitters had been inching closer to the 200-K mark for decades, but they’ve sprinted to the finish line in this hitter-friendly era. In 2008, major leaguers struck out at record rates. They whiffed once for every 5.71 plate appearances, and that 5.71 PA-K ratio is the lowest since the end of the dead-ball era.

With strikeouts at an all-time high, the next question is: does it matter? Are strikeouts really any worse than any other kind of out?

The answer may surprise you. It’s available in a recent examination of strikeouts in ‘Thom’s Take,’ which is a feature of STATS Fantasy Advantage. SFA is the tool to make running your fantasy teams easier. For $19.95 for all of 2009, you receive a portfolio that allows you to track your players, complete player news and notes regarding injuries and performance, and access to STATS’ extensive databases throughout the season. You may order STATS Fantasy Advantage at stats.com.