Guidelines for Intentional Drop

[MT73]

Does the ball have to be in the pocket of the glove for an intentional drop to be called or is guiding the ball down with say the back of the glove enough to call it?

Suppose the fielder allows the ball to touch his arm or body rather than the glove?

Could that also qualify?

[scrounge]

If you feel that he intentionally manipulated the ball to the ground or otherwise intentionally dropped it, then call it. Allowing to hit the arm or body? Other than sounding extraordinarily stupid and painful, why would they do that and risk it bouncing uncontrollably away? But it would still be your judgment. All they have to do is allow it to drop untouched and we're fine.

For HS, consider this case, which directly answers your first question:

8.4.1 SITUATION G:

With the bases loaded and one out, B5 bunts a ball in the air. F3 uses the back of his glove to gently knock the ball to the ground where he picks it up and throws to F2 who touches the plate and then throws out B5 at first.

RULING: The ball is dead. B5 is out and the runners return. Manipulating the ball to the ground is prohibited. Allowing the ball to drop to the ground untouched is not considered an intentionally dropped ball.

[Senor Azul]

For OBR the applicable rule is 5.09(a)(12). The Wendelstedt manual has a definition that might be helpful—

An Intentionally Dropped Ball is a fair fly ball, including a line drive, which is intentionally touched and dropped by an infielder with runners on first, first and second, first and third, or first, second, and third base. Any outfielder who positions himself so close to the infield as to easily benefit from the ball being intentionally dropped shall be considered an infielder for the purpose of this play.

The applicable NCAA rule is 7-11q in the 2017-18 rule book. Please note that FED and NCAA rules specifically include bunted fly balls but that the OBR rule does not. There is, however an interpretation that includes bunted fly balls for OBR.

[maven]

10 hours ago, MT73 said:

Does the ball have to be in the pocket of the glove for an intentional drop to be called or is guiding the ball down with say the back of the glove enough to call it?

Suppose the fielder allows the ball to touch his arm or body rather than the glove?

Could that also qualify?

The rule states "intentionally touched." It does not specify a body part, though I've never heard of anything other than glove or (less often) hand.

The purpose of the rule is to prevent the defense gaining an advantage not intended by the rules from knocking down a ball that would otherwise be caught for an out. That rationale is built into the idea of an "intentionally dropped ball."

In borderline cases, I recommend protecting the offense by calling it, similar to borderline IFF. The defense gets the out they deserve and not the cheap out they don't.