Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with this “designated player” thing in softball. I’d heard about it, but never actually played with the rule myself. Honestly, I wasn’t even 100% sure how it worked, so I figured, why not give it a shot and see what happens?
First, I grabbed my old, dusty rule book. It took a while, but I finally found the section on the DP/FLEX. It was… confusing, to say the least. Lots of “if this, then that” kind of stuff. I read it through like three times, and I think I got the basic idea.
The way I understand it, you get to have a designated player (DP) who hits for someone in the lineup, usually someone who’s a great fielder but maybe not the strongest hitter. Then there’s this other person, the FLEX, who is the player the DP hits for. The FLEX is still in the game, just not hitting. Makes sense, right?
The practice
So, I called up a few buddies and we headed to the park. We split into two teams, nothing serious, just a casual game. I decided to be the DP for my team, and my friend Sarah, who’s a killer shortstop but sometimes struggles at the plate, was the FLEX.
It felt kinda weird at first, not gonna lie. I was only focused on hitting, and Sarah was only focused on fielding. But after a few innings, it actually started to make a lot of sense.
- I got to focus on my at-bats, trying to get on base.
- Sarah was out there making amazing plays at shortstop, without the pressure of having to hit.
I ended up going 2-for-3 with a double, which is pretty good for me! And Sarah made a couple of diving stops that saved us runs. We ended up losing the game by one run, but it was still a blast.
I definitely see the value of using a DP/FLEX now. It lets you maximize your team’s strengths and minimize weaknesses. It’s a cool strategy, and I think it really adds another layer of depth to the game. I’m definitely going to try it again next time we play!
