In baseball, which term describes the circle a player stands on if he is next in line to bat?

In baseball, on deck refers to being next in line to bat. In the professional game, the batter who is on deck traditionally waits in a location in the foul territory called the on deck circle.

While there are rules in the game that determine if this player in the on deck circle will be able to have an opportunity to bat, the manager of the team has the option to remove the player from the on deck circle and substitute another player.

The player next in line to bat behind the on deck batter is referred to as being ‘in the hole’.

In baseball, each team has an on deck circle positioned in foul territory between home plate and the respective team’s bench or dugout (seating location that is recessed and built into the ground).

The on deck circle is either an area composed of bare dirt shaped in a circle, or a plain circle painted onto artificial turf, or often, the on deck circle is artificial material with a team logo painted on it.

Major League Baseball rules determine the dimensions of the on deck circle as 5 feet in diameter, and the centers of the two circles, one on each team’s side must be 74 feet apart. A straight line drawn between the centers of the two on deck circles should pass 10 feet behind home plate.