[greymule]

In a tournament 2 weeks ago, a coach, in anxious and serious tones, since the safety of the girls was paramount, etc., told me I had to make sure I got the bat out of the way.

I've umpired ASA in NJ for many years, also Fed for a while. No rule about dropping the bat. In ASA, a thrown bat is an out only if it prevents a fielder from making a play. However, NSA, last I looked, has a rule that if you touch 1B with the bat in your hands (live ball), you're out.

Of course, a player who consistently throws the bat and persists after warnings presents a safety issue (but not a rule issue). In a similar vein, some leagues mandate removal of the pitcher after a certain number of hit batters, and for all I know some codes even have such rules in black and white, but there's no limit in ASA.

There's no rule in MLB about maximum hit batters or how many times a bat can slip from a batter's hands. But obviously at some point—3, 4, 5 straight whacks of the catcher—something has to be done.