Designated hitter

A designated hitter, or DH, is a baseball player who is chosen at the start of a game to bat in place of the pitcher. While in the lineup, the designated hitter may not play a field position, and he may only be replaced by another player not currently in the lineup. If the designated hitter becomes a regular position player at any point during the game (usually by substituting for another player), his team forfeits the designated hitter position and the pitcher must bat in the substituted player's spot in the batting order.

The designated hitter in amateur baseball

The use of the DH in amateur baseball is mixed. The primary difference between the DH in professional and amateur baseball is that the DH may bat in place of one player in any position in most amateur baseball leagues such as those that use NFHS rules. Most high school coaches tend to either "play nine" (use no DH) or use a DH in place of the weakest hitter in the lineup. This is likely due to the fact that in amateur baseball, pitchers play other positions when they're not pitching and therefore are (relatively) better hitters than professional pitchers, who receive little to no hitting instruction (other than routine batting practice).

Related Topics:
NFHS - Rules

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See also

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• MLB designated hitter statistics
• List of notable designated hitters