Not sure if this should be in the General Sports forum or if softball is close enough to baseball for it to belong here, but as someone about to commentate on my first-ever softball game on Sunday, I thought I'd solicit some opinions on the DP and FLEX rules and how they differ from the pure DH rule in baseball. For those of you more familiar with softball than I am, do they work well? Do they work better than the DH rule does in baseball? The DP/FLEX rules sure seem confusing, even when explained in shorthand form...for example check out https://www.playballbc.com/faqs/softball/what-does-dp-mean-in-softball/ and this explanation of how the rules work:
Basic Softball Substitution Rules:
Basic Softball Substitution Rules:
- DP can play any position on defense
- DP and Flex titles never terminated even when used
- Team member numbers can go from 10 to 9 or 9 to 10 an unlimited number during the game
- If DP replaces a defensive player that isn’t the FLEX, the defensive player will still get to bat
- DP and Flex can play defense simultaneously
- DP and Flex cannot play offense simultaneously, because the only position a Flex can replace in offense is the DP
- DP, Flex, and substitutes are all to be in same the same spot in batting order