My best ever at-bat was off of a pitch like this. I managed to get a double, mostly because nobody was at all expecting me to swing. Though this was purely sandlot with a bunch of friends, not even little league.
There was a time when 100 Ks in a season was pretty terrible for a hitter. Now it’s probably about average. Vlad’s K numbers don’t surprise me. He was a great contact hitter and very frequently swung at the first pitch. That combo does not make for a lot of strikeouts.