Umpire Priorities on Fly Balls


 
Runner on 3rd with no outs. The batter hits a high fly down the right field line and really close to the foul line. There is alot for the plate umpire to do on this play (but very little for the base umpire to do on).
 
What is the highest priority, second highest priority, third highest, and lowest priority on this fly ball play?
 
Rank these from highest to lowest priority/importance:
A. Getting in a good position to see the play at the plate when the runner at 3rd tags up and tries to score at home.
B. Determining if the ball hits (or is first touched) fair or foul down the right field line.
C. Making sure that the runner on 3rd properly tags up.
D. Determining if the right fielder caught or dropped the ball.
 
Call
On this play, the plate umpire must determine fair/foul, catch/no-catch, tag-up by the runner at 3rd, and then safe/out at home -- in that order -- so the answer is BDCA.
 
The plate umpire should hustle down the right field line to get the best view of fair/foul:
 
- If the ball is foul and uncaught, the play is over. If the ball is fair and uncaught, the tag-up is no longer a factor (and the runner likely scores easily).
 
- If the ball is caught, attention turns to 3rd base and the tag-up. If the plate umpire determines that the runner is tagging (properly or improperly), attention turns to getting in the best possible position for a safe/out call at home.