[ Why is everyone hooked on Ks, i would much rather have a pitcher ala Madux, Lowe and the such, I am a huge fan the the ground ball pitcher. ] There's two reasons people are obsessed with K's: 1) A K is a dead-end. There's no way the infield can screw it up, there's no way it can find a hole through the infield, and no one can beat out a throw on one (well sorta). It can't dribble down the line, and it can't leave the park. It's the only sure thing. 2) K-rates are one of the most important secondary stats. They're a much better predictor often than ERA, which can be raised and lowered by park effects, and more often, luck.