There is a mantra: The Game has Changed! But is it for the better. Some of the SO issue is mental, the SO has lost its stigma. Some of it is mechanical. The term 'launch angle' is another way of trying to hit a home run. Some will deny that fact, but it's true. You are changing your approach and swing, to attempt to hit a fly ball, preferably a long one. The benefits of HR production have been emphasized. Is that good or bad? The saber metrics guys are gonna have to argue that one out themselves. Working the count? Few hitters can work an AB like Mauer. Yet even he shows that when he has two strikes his BA drops drastically. Think how it drops for the common hitters in the league. Yet, in an attempt to drive an average starting pitcher out of a game, to get into someone's excellent BP, hitters continue to take get em over FB early in the count, and end up swing at someone's tempting slider off the plate on a 2-2 pitch. A good baseball minded friend of mine once told me, "you're gonna get one good pitch to hit in each AB, you better be ready for it". While it's quite possible metrics will show that more runs are scored following some of the newer takes on hitting, launch angle, deep counts, and less concern over SO and warning track FB's, SO seem to be one of the results. That and all or nothing offense. And to me, I just don't see that as good for the game.