ASA April Clarifications are posted

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by BretMan

Play: B6, a slap hitter, is hit by a pitch a) while out of the front of the box and b) while out of the front of the box preventing the ball from entering the strike zone.

Ruling: In (a) the ball is dead and a ball is awarded the batter and in (b) the ball is dead and a strike called on the batter.

Is a slap hitter out of the front of the box automatically considered to have made no effort to avoid being hit?

The batter cannot legally hit the ball out of the box; the batter has no real valid reason to be out the front of the box before the pitch reaches the hitting area. It sounds to me like the ruling isn't saying the batter is presumed to have made no effort (that's like ruling on intent); instead, they are saying the batter has no standing out there, and is (effectively) no longer someone with the rights of a batter who is in the box.

Think about it; the batter's rights while in the box are 1) to hit the pitch with the bat, 2) be protected from causing accidental interference by sole virtue of being in the box, and 3) to be awarded a base if hit by a pitch (subject to yada, yada). Once out of the box, the batter 1) cannot legally contact the ball with the bat, 2) and is not protected if interfering accidentally. Sems to me that 3) is now clarified as rights no longer given, either.