1.If a pitcher throws a ball and it hits the ground 5 feet in front of home plate, and the ball bounces back up and the batter swings and hits it for a single, is it a single? or dead ball and it doesn't count?

yes,it's a single.


2.A batter is facing a pitcher and is batting right handed for the first pitch. Can the batter switch to batting left handed for the 2nd pitch with the same pitcher on the mound?

yes.

3.A batter takes a full swing and hits the ball in foul territory before the third / first base bag. Say the ball hits a rock and bounces back into fair territory. Is it a fair ball or foul ball?

Foul because the rock is considered part of the turf

My baseball rule questions have more to do with why some rules exist. Like dropped 3rd strike, I always assumed this was in place to keep teams from forgoing a catcher with the bases empty so they could add another fielder to rob hits. But I'm not sure.

Foul tips are strikes....at what point does contact constitute it turning into a foul pop up and an out.

Hit
Yes
Fair. Ball is not foul until it is picked up in your scenario.

My baseball rule questions have more to do with why some rules exist. Like dropped 3rd strike, I always assumed this was in place to keep teams from forgoing a catcher with the bases empty so they could add another fielder to rob hits. But I'm not sure.

Off the top of my head, If I am right that an out is recorded only by tag, catch, or put-out, then b/c the catcher didn't "catch" the ball to make the out, he then has to then either make the put-out or apply the tag to do so.

The third question I asked I always thought was foul too. But some sites I visited say it's fair. Even years before I have met people who said it would be fair. They compare it to a foul bunt. If you bunt the ball foul and it rolls back in fair it's fair. That one too sort of miffed me for a long time as I always thought once foul always foul.

It's fair, which is why technically the umpires are not supposed to call them foul balls until it stops moving, hits a wall, or someone touches it. But due to the physics of hitting a ball, the spin on the ball tends to carry it foul instead of back into fair.

Here's one for you, men on first and second with 1 out, and the pitcher is up to bat. Coach gives him the sign to bunt. Pitcher bunts it about 20 feet in the air back to the pitcher who easily gets under to field it while the base runners remain next to their bases. Fielding pitcher intentionally lets the ball hit the ground, throws to third for one out, and then to second for the last out of the inning. The team leaves the field while the batting team's coach comes running out to discuss this with the plate umpire... he wants an infield fly rule called... what should the plate umpire do?

One more... if a batter has two strikes and see the pitcher throw one to the back stop, could he swing seeing where the ball was going and attempt to beat a throw to first.

One more... if a batter has two strikes and see the pitcher throw one to the back stop, could he swing seeing where the ball was going and attempt to beat a throw to first.

If you are sitting on an 0-2 count in Little League and see a ball going way over your head, might be worth it just to swing and run.

It's fair, which is why technically the umpires are not supposed to call them foul balls until it stops moving, hits a wall, or someone touches it. But due to the physics of hitting a ball, the spin on the ball tends to carry it foul instead of back into fair.

Here's one for you, men on first and second with 1 out, and the pitcher is up to bat. Coach gives him the sign to bunt. Pitcher bunts it about 20 feet in the air back to the pitcher who easily gets under to field it while the base runners remain next to their bases. Fielding pitcher intentionally lets the ball hit the ground, throws to third for one out, and then to second for the last out of the inning. The team leaves the field while the batting team's coach comes running out to discuss this with the plate umpire... he wants an infield fly rule called... what should the plate umpire do?

I would assume it has to really be dropped as a third strike not a WP or PB.

It's fair, which is why technically the umpires are not supposed to call them foul balls until it stops moving, hits a wall, or someone touches it. But due to the physics of hitting a ball, the spin on the ball tends to carry it foul instead of back into fair.

Here's one for you, men on first and second with 1 out, and the pitcher is up to bat. Coach gives him the sign to bunt. Pitcher bunts it about 20 feet in the air back to the pitcher who easily gets under to field it while the base runners remain next to their bases. Fielding pitcher intentionally lets the ball hit the ground, throws to third for one out, and then to second for the last out of the inning. The team leaves the field while the batting team's coach comes running out to discuss this with the plate umpire... he wants an infield fly rule called... what should the plate umpire do?