Are strikeouts overrated?

With Adam Dunn moving to the Diamondbacks today for a couple minor leaguers, it's time to think about whether or not strikeouts are overrated as a hitting statistic.

Dunn has struck out 120 times this season, fifth most in the national league. That makes him undesirable as a big-time hitter despite his 32 HRs and 74 RBI. But consider this: of the top five strikeout leaders, four have at least 24 HR and 70 RBI. It makes you wonder if these players make up for their strikeouts by knocking the hell out of the ball when they make contact. 

Ryan Howard surely is valuable for the Phillies even though he's struck out 149 times this year. So is Dan Uggla and his 121 strikeouts. But Dunn can't get any love even though he has a better OBP than both and ties Howard for the league lead with 32 dingers. 

And the thing is, isn't an out an out? Sure, there are such things as productive outs, but a pop up with a runner on third with less than two outs is no better than a strikeout. 

Which leads us to our random stat of the day: A.J. Burnett of the Blue Jays leads the A.L. with 159 Ks this year, but he is also second in the league with 68 walks issued.