Infield fly vs. an intentionally dropped ball

[tkrochta]

I find this rule curious in that a hustling batter should almost always be able to avoid the double play when a ball is "intentionally dropped" and then picked back up.

The only advantage I can think of for a defensive team dropping a ball with only first base occupied is to get a fast runner(the one on first) off the bases in exchange for a possibly slower runner(the batter).

Todd