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Originally Posted by UmpireErnie
Yes, the batter may still attempt to hit the ball. However, if she has discarded her bat and started to 1B, that ship has sailed. The pitch cannot become a strike unless she swings at it since it has hit the ground. And she has given up on swinging at it. So it's a ball. Still can't see any reason why batter must wait to go to 1B on this pitch..
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Where does it state the batter must be in the batter's hands?
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8-1-C says the batter becomes a BR when four balls are called by the umpire. So when should the umpire call it a ball? 7-5-A says a ball is called by the umpire on any legally delivered pitch that does not enter the strike zone, touches the ground, or touches home plate and the batter does not swing.
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You are reading something that is not there. It cannot be a ball until the batter no longer has the ability to hit the ball. And, again, nothing states the bat must be in the batter's hands NOR does the contact with the ball need to be intentional.
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This pitch has touched the ground and the batter has by discarding the bat and moving to 1B indicated she is not going to swing. It's ball four so now she is a batter-runner. When the dropped ball rolls against the bat, it is not a batter hitting the ball with one foot out of the box, it is a batter-runner whose discarded bat had the ball hit it. Which is nothing.
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Again, you are reading something that isn't there. Years ago when I was young and fast and played FP while in the USN, I often hung the bat over the plate to let the ball hit it. The ball really goes dead when there is nothing holding the bat. It was not unusual for me to actually release the bat prior to contact with the ball. That was not a discarded bat. And unless you can tell a batter is throwing the bat away and not laying it on the plate with intent of contacting the ball, you have no call until something happens.
This is a TWP and the only reason I raise it was because of my antics 40 years ago and the warnings I often received from umpires about the BB. However, my point is completely backed by the rules as written.