Designated Hitter Rule Question

• Wooball

  

  I know this is legal in college baseball, but does this apply to the high school game:
  In college if the pitcher is also a good hitter and the team wants him to hit for himself, he can go into the line-up card as P/DH. If they remove him as the pitcher, he can continue to DH for the relievers that replace him. Or you could pinch hit for the DH, and leave him in the game as the pitcher. Basically 1 guy has 2 positions on the line-up card. Is this also allowed in high school? If so, if you have a P/DH, and want to replace the pitcher, but leave him in the game as a fielder can you do this and just remove the DH from him, or if you designate someone the P/DH, does he forfeit this option?
• Nate

  DH is considered a position change more than anything at that point. Lineup stays in tack. Replacing a pitcher doesn't forfeit him playing, he can change positions. Technically the pitcher doesn't have 2 positions on the lineup card. He is considered a P and you are forfeiting the right to a DH at the time being. You may switch him to DH later in the game and replace him at P and it doesn't effect the lineup either. You can DH for any player in HS, not just the pitcher.
• Wooball

  

  I understand you can DH for anyone in HS, just wanted to see if the HS rule is the same as the college rule with the P/DH.
• Nate

  Yes, P can go to DH in middle of game.
• joebaseball

  

  Keebler wrote: Yes, P can go to DH in middle of game.

  I'm not 100% sure on that.
  
  A starting defensive player cannot be designated as the "Designated Hitter". The designated hitter shall be designated PRIOR to the start of the game and shall be included in the line-up card presented to the Umpire-In-Chief and the Official Scorer.
  
  Check out this link. It is a copy of the NFHS rule
  http://swua.net/baseball/designatedhitter.htm
• Nate

  joebaseball wrote:

  Keebler wrote: Yes, P can go to DH in middle of game.

  I'm not 100% sure on that.
  
  Check out this link. It is a copy of the NFHS rule
  http://swua.net/baseball/designatedhitter.htm

  You may be right. For some reason, I thought it was legit. I should have stated I wasn't 100%.
• Skip Level

  Keebler wrote:

  joebaseball wrote:

  Keebler wrote: Yes, P can go to DH in middle of game.

  I'm not 100% sure on that.
  
  Check out this link. It is a copy of the NFHS rule
  http://swua.net/baseball/designatedhitter.htm

  You may be right. For some reason, I thought it was legit. I should have stated I wasn't 100%.

  I don't believe this is legal in High School. In the lineup, the DH and the non-batting fielder share the same spot in the batting order. You can sub for the DH but the sub is in the same spot in the order. If your starting pitcher was batting as part of the starting lineup and you want to keep them batting even though they are no longer pitching AND you want to keep your starting DH in the batting order, then the pitcher will have to play defense somewhere else. The DH is eliminated when the DH plays defense, or the non-batting fielder, bats.
  
  If you don't want any of your remaining pitchers hitting, then you could sub your pitchers in for the non-batting fielder who share the spot in the order with the DH.
  
  This is NFHS rule 3.1.4. I'm sure someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
• Flying Streak

  I do not know the DH rules for college, but I do know the rules for high school. First, the DH can be for any defensive player, not just the pitcher. High school also has a reentry rule for all starters including the pitcher and DH. In your example, the pitcher, who is being DH for, is removed from the game. The DH and defensive player are locked in the batting order together. The pitcher could come back in the game and hit in that spot, but the DH would be out of the game and the pitcher would also be in the defensive lineup. In fact under high school rules the pitcher could even come back and pitch. (There are a few provisos to this) Once this occurs there is no longer a DH in the game and the player in that spot must hit and play defense. Because of the reentry rule the coach could later have the original DH hit, play defense, or pinch run for the original pitcher.
  
  Your example using DH is not really practical. I would assume that both the DH and pitcher in the scenario are two of the top nine hitters on the team. If that is true, you let the pitcher hit and you DH the weakest remaining hitter for a player that hits, but cannot play defense. Here is an example:
  
  Shawn can hit but is slow and plays weak defense. Nate is fast plays good defense, but is not a good hitter. You start both players with Shawn as the DH and Nate playing defense. In the second inning Shawn gets a hit and is on base. You can remove Shawn from the game and have Nate pinch run for Shawn. The DH position is now removed from the lineup and Nate will be scheduled to bat the next time up and continue to play defense. In the fourth inning Nate is now due to bat, but it is a crucial situation. Because of the reentry rule, the coach decides to renter Shawn to bat. Now Nate is out of the game. Shawn does hit and the Coach can reenter Nate back in for Shawn to pinch run. Shawn is done for the game and if Nate is removed again he will be done for the game.
  
  The combination of the DH and reentry rule allows a coach to get playing time for multiple players and situation substitute. Umpires just love us when we do this, but it is part of the rules.
• Nate

  I think his question was more along the lines is you have a regular 1 thru 9 lineup with the pitcher hitting. Can you remove the P from the game and switch him to DH without there being a DH already in place and having him DH for the pitcher he is replacing or even another player in the field and having the new pitcher taking the fielders spot in the order.
• Flying Streak

  Under high school rules you must start the game with a DH in order to use it any time. There is no way the pitcher can hit for other players other that as outlined below.
  
  If the pitcher is in a normal 1-9 lineup and is removed from the game he can reenter only in the batting order where he started the game.
  
  If Bill starts the game number two hitter and is the pitcher.
  
  1 Joe 2B
  2. Bill P
  3. John 3B
  
  In the third inning Jim replaces Bill at pitcher the batting order would look like this.
  
  1. Joe 2B
  2. Jim P
  3. John 3B
  
  In the fifth inning the coach would like Bill to bat for Jim, so he reenters in the two spot.
  
  1 Joe 2B
  2. Bill P
  3. John 3B
  
  Jim would be done for the game and Bill can pitch or play any other defensive position. That is assuming he was not removed from pitch by rule.
• joebaseball

  

  Personally, I really like the P/DH rule that is used in college. I think it might save a couple of arms at the HS level. How many times do you see a kid throw 80-100 pitches and then go play the field so that they can keep his bat in the lineup.
• Wooball

  

  joebaseball wrote: Personally, I really like the P/DH rule that is used in college. I think it might save a couple of arms at the HS level. How many times do you see a kid throw 80-100 pitches and then go play the field so that they can keep his bat in the lineup.

  
  I agree, and this is why I asked the question. From the responses above I can't tell if some don't fully understand what I am asking, or if the P/DH rule is illegal in HS.
  
  At the beginning of the game, on the line-up card that you present to the umpire, your starting pitcher would be listed as so, then he would also be listed as the DH, hitting for the pitcher. So when you remove him from the game as the pitcher, he would still remain as the DH.
• Skip Level

  Wooball wrote:

  joebaseball wrote: Personally, I really like the P/DH rule that is used in college. I think it might save a couple of arms at the HS level. How many times do you see a kid throw 80-100 pitches and then go play the field so that they can keep his bat in the lineup.

  
  I agree, and this is why I asked the question. From the responses above I can't tell if some don't fully understand what I am asking, or if the P/DH rule is illegal in HS.
  
  At the beginning of the game, on the line-up card that you present to the umpire, your starting pitcher would be listed as so, then he would also be listed as the DH, hitting for the pitcher. So when you remove him from the game as the pitcher, he would still remain as the DH.

  The scenario you describe cannot be done in High School. If you choose to use a DH, you must start the game with a DH in the batting order. A player cannot DH for himself in High School.
• joebaseball

  

  Skip Level wrote:

  Wooball wrote:

  joebaseball wrote: Personally, I really like the P/DH rule that is used in college. I think it might save a couple of arms at the HS level. How many times do you see a kid throw 80-100 pitches and then go play the field so that they can keep his bat in the lineup.

  
  I agree, and this is why I asked the question. From the responses above I can't tell if some don't fully understand what I am asking, or if the P/DH rule is illegal in HS.
  
  At the beginning of the game, on the line-up card that you present to the umpire, your starting pitcher would be listed as so, then he would also be listed as the DH, hitting for the pitcher. So when you remove him from the game as the pitcher, he would still remain as the DH.

  The scenario you describe cannot be done in High School. If you choose to use a DH, you must start the game with a DH in the batting order. A player cannot DH for himself in High School.

  I agree that it is illegal in HS but wish it was not. I know a couple of Division I umpires that keep a cheat sheet in their pocket for this rule at the college level because there are so many scenarios that come with it. I think this could overwhelm many young new umpires at the HS level.