Dugout refers to a location on or next to the baseball playing field that is usually dug down into the ground and sits below the field level. It's where players, coaches, trainers and batboys sit when not participating in the game. The specific location of the dugout, its shape, who occupies it and its safety features vary considerably depending on the level of competition and the location of the field.
History
Baseball has been played on a professional level since the 1880s, and while the first-ever dugout has not been documented, they are thought to have been used since the early days of competition. The American Library of Congress has a photograph of West Side Park in Chicago dating to 1905 in which a field-level dugout can be seen down the third base line.
Home and Away
Traditionally, every baseball field regardless of the competition level has two dugouts--one for the home team, and one for the away team. Typically, the home team has the right to choose which dugout it will use. Some teams will choose the dugout down the first base line because of the way the sun sets while other teams will choose the third base dugout because it was more recently updated.
Level
Professional dugouts are all situated below field level, in the traditional "dug in" setting. These dugouts have concrete steps that lead down into the seating area, and are often surrounded by a railing for players to lean up against during games. Collegiate and lower level baseball parks feature a mixed level, with some parks boasting traditional below-level dugouts, and others holding field level dugouts with a chain-link fence exterior.
Safety
Just being in a dugout, especially those that are below field level, does not ensure that you are safe from batted balls or flying baseball bats. Most sunken dugouts are protected only by a single or double railing no more than a few inches thick, leaving the majority of the people inside open to a low line drive. During the 2010 Major League Baseball regular season, Eugenio Velez, a professional baseball player, suffered a concussion after being struck in the side of the head by a batted ball while sitting in the rear section of a sunken dugout.
Amenities and Connectivity
While amateur dugouts rarely contain more than a single bench for players to sit on, professional dugouts feature a host of modern amenities. Many dugouts include plumbing for a drinking fountain as well as a TV connected to a camera feed in the bullpen. Another standard convenience is a direct tunnel that leads from the dugout to bathrooms, the locker room and the players' clubhouse.
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