Can someone verify a TSSAA rule regarding On-Deck Batter?

[TheMissingLink]

I saw something last week I had never seen before, an umpire requiring the on-deck batter to stay on his dugout's side of the field, rather than being at the back of the batter. Between innings, I questioned the ump about why he was doing that and he said it's a TSSAA rule that they have to stay on their side of the field. I asked why and he said that it is to prevent players from chattering at each between the dugout and on-deck circle. He claimed he had just come to TN from Florida and that's the way it has been for years down there. This seems insane to me, especially in some parks like Webb School of Knoxville's where the ODC is probably not 20 feet from the plate. A late swing is going to get somebody killed eventually.

 

Is this truly the rule or has this guy been in the Florida sun too long?

 

BTW, he's the only ump I've seen enforce this "rule".

[TullahomaGuy]

I saw the plate umpire in the Tullahoma / Shelbyville game Tuesday night make a Shelbyville batter move back to the Shelbyville dugout side. He had moved to the Tullahoma side because his teamate that was batting at the time was a left handed hitter.

[creekerballer]

4 years ago we went to state and i did the same thing, i tried to go to the other side for on deck and the umpire told me to stay on my side so the rules been around awhile

[glock22]

It is a N.F.H.S. rule and Tennessee plays under that rules set.

 

If you've truly never seen that rule enforced before, then the umpires of the games you've been watching are ignoring the rule.

 

No one's going to get killed. The on deck batter can stay in the dugout.

[easyreader]

This is something that is not new at all in high school ball. All on deck batters stay on their side no matter the hitter's side of the plate. Different from Little League yes, but not high school.

[Monkey Wrench]

Different from Little League yes, but not high school.

 

unless the rules have changed since i played little league, but we were required to stay in the dugout until we got up to bat...if i remember correctly.

[sh9912]

This is a national federation rule and has been for years. If the umpires are letting the players go to the opposite side they are not enforcing the rule. If the umpire sends the on deck batter to the opposite side and something happens to him then the umpire is liable!!! Enforce the rule and make the hitter stay on his own side.

[TheMissingLink]

I still think this is asinine. The odds of a fight breaking out because of someone warming up near an opponent's dugout are ridiculously higher than some kid getting hit standing 20 feet to the right of a right-handed batter. An to suggest they can just "stay in the dugout" is even crazier. It should be up to the coaches to control any talk from his bench to an on-deck batter and let the kid warm up without the threat of getting hit.

[HTV]

I've seen a lot of high school baseball in my life, going back to when I played high school baseball in the early 70's, and I have never seen a team at that level or above use any on deck circle other than the one outside of his own dugout.

 

The bottom line is that high school baseball is "big boy baseball". It's not Upward Baseball, Little League Baseball, or Pony League Baseball. If an on deck hitter is paying attention to what is happening between the pitcher and hitter, he will have no issues. If he isn't, he doesn't have any business playing high school baseball in the first place.

[glock22]

I still think this is asinine. The odds of a fight breaking out because of someone warming up near an opponent's dugout are ridiculously higher than some kid getting hit standing 20 feet to the right of a right-handed batter. An to suggest they can just "stay in the dugout" is even crazier. It should be up to the coaches to control any talk from his bench to an on-deck batter and let the kid warm up without the threat of getting hit.

???

 

Read what you wrote (before you edit it). You're saying there's a better chance of a fight breaking out than an on deck batter getting hit. ???

 

And why is it crazy that the on deck batter stay in the dugout?

 

Any, the TSSAA has no control over this, this is a FED rule.

 

And you are very, very naive if you think that coaches control the talk from their players.

[TheMissingLink]

Try this and see if you can understand.

 

"odds of a fight breaking out because of someone warming up near an opponent's dugout are ridiculously higher"

 

So, for example, the odds of a fight breaking out...1000 to 1.

 

The odds of getting hit 20-1.

 

Yes, the odds, IMO, are tremendously higher that a fight would break out.

 

I guess all higher levels of baseball warm up in the dugout... This doesn't have anything to do with "Big Boy Baseball". It's common-friggin sense that it is inherintly unsafe to stand 20 feet to the right of a right handed batter, paying attention or not. If the playing field does not allow for a reasonable distance from the plate to the ODC, which in many places it doesn't, then it's stupid to force them to "warm up" in the dugout or in the line of fire. heck, pitchers get hit from 60 feet away. I guess they're not paying attention either.

[glock22]

OK, I'll try this, slowly...

 

You said..

 

"odds of a fight breaking out because of someone warming up near an opponent's dugout are ridiculously higher"

 

So, for example, the odds of a fight breaking out...1000 to 1.

 

Then you said..

 

The odds of getting hit 20-1.

 

20-1 odds are a heck of a lot higher than 1000-1. The lower the odds the more likely it is that will happen not the other way around.

 

Now if you say there more of a chance someone would get hit in the on deck circle are higher, it might make more sense. Anyway, the FED decides where the on deck batters will stand, period.