Pete,
Unless something unusual is happening, I recommend you do away with the, "hand up," gesture. It is unnecessary. By rule, the pitcher is required to wait until the batter is reasonably set in the box. By using your hand, you relieve the pitcher of this requirement.
Because this hand up gesture is so popular, at younger levels (Little League) the pitchers never learn to be responsible with the ball. They need to understand that the missile in their hand can kill. They need to know that they are required to wait for the batter.
By using the hand gesture very sparingly, you give the choice to pitch to the pitcher, where it belongs. By staying alert, you can head off any potential problems that may arise from a quick pitch.
I called a quick pitch in a game this year. The responses from the coach and crowd was astounding to me.
One person yelled, "You didn't have your hand up!"
The coach argued, "He can throw as soon as the batter steps in the box!"
This type of misinformation is out there because of youth league umpires who stick their hand up for every batter. For years these kids, coaches, and parents have gone through baseball without ever knowing that their pitcher was required to wait for the batter to be set.
Despite my quick pitch call, and my polite explanations of the rules, those people left that game thinking I was an idiot. I paid the price for all those guys who stick their hand up and promote lazy, ignorant pitchers.
All of that aside, if you do stick your hand up, that is a time out. You can't ask the pitcher to hold and wait all the while allowing the offense to run willy-nilly. That's not fair.
What if a runner is steaing home? There you are with your hand up, how will the pitcher know he can throw to the plate?
When that hand goes up it is not an implied time out, it IS a time out. Your hand is up. Nothing is implied there.
Sincerely,
Jim Porter
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