Question copied from another board.

What I am about to discuss does not seem to be covered in any rulebook or umpires manual, so the interpretation would seem to be an individual's opinion. What is yours?

When a typical (female) batter is first at the plate, she stands tall with bat on shoulder. When the pitcher starts her motion, the bat comes off the shoulder, the knees flex, and the batter assumes her natural batting stance.. At that point the plate umpire should "capture" the strike zone.

But what if, instead she squares to bunt? Now her stance is slightly lower. A marginally high pitch could be a ball if she doesn't attempt, but may be a strike using the so called natural batting stance.

The question is: "are there two natural batting stances? Can one batter have two strike zones?

WMB

Are you, as the umpire, dropping your eyes to the shoulder level as the ball is approaching the squaring batter?

If not, and it is inside your zone, it's a strike.

If a batter stoops low or drops to their knees as the pitch is coming in, are you dropping with her?

If not, and it is inside your zone, it's a strike.

There are umpires who believe that the "natural" stance is the position which that batter comes to during their swing. I disagree with that as it is not a natural stance, but the book would suggest the strike zone being that of a "swinging" position, not a natural stance.

JMHO,