Getting Ahead in the Count

For reference, here's a custom leaderboard with first-strike percentage by team: www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=0&type=c,112,122,62,45,16,36,37,38,39,40,41&season=2012&month=0&season1=2012&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=2,d

Sox were middle-of the pack at 59.9%. Rays were 7th at 61%. Unsurprisingly, the pitching numbers tend to look better near the top of the leaderboard.

And here's an individual leaderboard: www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=40&type=c,112,13,122,62,45,16,36,37,38,39,40,41&season=2012&month=0&season1=2012&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=3,d

(By the way, HOW GOOD IS CRAIG KIMBREL? HOLY CRAP.)

Thing is, I'm always skeptical of the "advantage" of getting ahead in the count. It's a chicken-egg thing for me. Better pitchers throw more strikes as a rule and are thus throw more first-pitch strikes and are ahead in the count more often. It's not like the teams that are lower on that list aren't trying to throw a first-pitch strike.

Napoli had a .522 OBP with a 3-ball count, and a .500 OBP after a 3-1 count.

It's 2012, quoting batting average is sort of like talking about geocentrism.