If the proper batter is declared out for failing to bat in turn, which batter is next to bat?

• A. The batter who batted improperly.
• B. The proper batter who should have batted.
• C. The batter whose name follows the proper batter thus called out.
• D. The batter the opposing team chooses.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is preserving the batting order when a batter fails to take his turn. If the batter who was due to bat does not step up, he is charged with an out, and play resumes with the next batter in the lineup. That next batter is the one who would have batted in that spot—the proper batter who should have batted. So the batter who should have batted is the one who comes up next. The other options don’t fit because the batter who already batted isn’t the one due to bat now, the defense doesn’t choose who bats, and the next batter in sequence is determined by the lineup, not by guesswork or by following the batter after the proper one.