Strikeout Rate (K%) is a pitching statistic that measures the percentage of plate appearances that the pitcher successfully struck out the batter.
*Qualifying pitchers
More about Pitcher Strikeout Rate (K%) Leaders
Pitching strikeout rate (K%) leaders looks at the percentage of all plate appearances against a pitcher that ended in a strikeout. To have a high percentage a pitcher must 1) have a high strikeout rate (obviously), but also minimizing the number of batters they face by limiting the number who safely reach base. Those with the highest rate in recent years have occasionally topped 30% (meaning for every ten batters they face, three end up striking out), whereas a few years prior the ratio among league leaders was closer to 25%. Maximizing this ratio for a pitcher is one of the most important things they can do, as it limits the number of times a ball is put into play, at which point there is a lot of luck involved in regards to whether the batted ball turns into an out or a hit.
