because measuring strike outs for a pitcher is a good way to predict a pitchers success since it eliminates the luck involved in BABIP. Strikeouts matter for a hitter, but there are better ways to measure a hitters success than strikeouts. in other words, if a hitter has a .400 OBP and .600 SLP, you don't care if he strikes out a ton. If a hitter has a .300 OBP and .350 SLP, you might be concerned.