I think a lot of fans misunderstand the theory behind "pitch to contact." When you listen to a full explanation, it is really just preaching balance. When you need a strikeout, pitch to strike'm out. When bases are empty, try to induce weak contact early in the counts. It's all a matter of pitching situationally. If the Twin's approach is so unbalanced that it could potentially harm Nolan Ryan's career, how did Santana manage his strikeout rate? Strikeouts are very valuable, but they are not the only valuable outs and in certain situations, they are not the most valuable outs. For example, a double play ball trumps a strikeout. A quick out has more value when a pitcher can't go deep. The term "pitch to contact" really came to light when Liriano was wearing out early due to very high pitch counts. A few one or two pitch ground outs and pop outs would have more value in that circumstance than the seven and eight pitch strike outs that they would replace. However, put a runner in scoring position and the situation calls for a strikeout. Now, you spare no bullets.