[Richard_Siegel]

It is not uncommon for a new umpire to over-think this rule. Better than 99.9% of the time the batter will be awarded 1B if he is HBP. In over 1300 games behind HP, I think I have kept maybe 10 batters at HP for not trying to get out of the way when they could have and were HBP.

Don't think that the batter must always make an effort to to avoid the pitch. Often that is just not possible. Especially for a new umpire going up to work at HS level ball, you have to realize that some pitches come at the batter so fast he has no chance to avoid the pitch. All he can do is brace for the impact.

We umpires have a special rule that you as a new umpire must embrace. it is: Screw the team that screwed up. If you are not sure of a penalty or award, rule against the team that didn't do the right thing. Pitches do not belong in the batter's box. If a pitcher throws the ball and it hits the batter by accident the pitcher has screwed up. Don't reward the defense by keeping the batter at HP for a HBP if you are not 100% positive the batter COULD have avoided and did not try to avoid it.

Don't think that the batter absolutely must make an effort to to avoid the pitch. What you should think about is: did the batter have the OPPORTUNITY to avoid the pitch? And then: did he make an effort to avoid it? And remember the effort does not have to be a good effort, there just has to be an "effort." Part of the strategy of playing the game is knowing how to take advantage of the other tream's mistakes. If a batter sees that the pitcher has thrown a pitch that might hit him, if he makes a poor effort to avoid it and still gets hits, this is a smart batter. He legally "took one for the team." Any twitch, a turn, a flinch is all it takes to "make and effort" to avoid the pitch. That is how the game is played.

You can't stand there and say top a batter, "you stay at home plate, you could have made a better effort to avoid that pitch." If he made any kind of effort, he gets to go to first base.

When a batter has a slow curve dropping in and he has plenty of time to avoid it but just stands there like a statue and lets it hit him, it will be plain as day to you and everyone else. If the batter moves to purposely put his body where the pitch will hit him, like stick out his elbow, it will be very obvious. That is the HBP where you will keep the batter at HP. If you have a batter attemt to hit the pitch with his bat and he gets hit by the ball, you will know it. If you think he offerred at the pitch, call "time! That's a strike. Batter stay right here." If you think he might have offered and gets hit, call "Time!" then ask your partner, "Did he go?"

Most batter's do not want to get hit by a pitch. Interestingly, in HS ball, I think more batters try to convince me they were NOT hit by a pitch when I saw that they were, then batters who try to let themselves be hit by the pitch just to get the award of 1B. Most batters in HS want to hit the ball with the bat and get on base via a base hit rather than a HBP. They are willing to deny the HBP so they can stay up at bat!