Umpires and base path.

Very important in Little League and they usually have plenty of time.  Once things get a little faster, I suspect that clearing a bat is secondary, although I assume it is "legal" (as you can probably tell I am no umpire).

Out of curiosity, what were the specifics of the play?  Were the bases loaded with your son on 3B?  Kid hits a home run with nobody on base and drops bat on home plate - plenty of time while kid rounds the bases.  Infield in with the throw coming back to the plate - no way ump is even thinking about the bat.

Is it a responsibility? No.

Is it something most will do? Yes.

Really it depends on the circumstance.  Most importantly, they have to see it and have time to move it.  If they are watching other aspects of the play - they may not see the bat.  They may also see it too late to do anything about it without getting in the middle of the play.

This was a bang up play at home plate.  Son rounding second on his way home after a line drive to the of.  OF'der throwing home for the out. I would expect the on deck to clear the path for the incoming but just wondering what umpires think.

I try to do it, but other responsibilities and speed of play sometimes prevent it. For example, if that line drive was toward the rf line and I had responsibility for fair/foul or catch/no-catch plus the touch at third, I might be a little too busy.

The on-deck hitter should attempt to clear it only if he is confident he can do it quickly and cleanly without interfering. He can't let himself be anywhere in the mix when ball, runner and catcher converge. 

NAP.

Necessary: Is there the potential for a bat to interfere with play?

Available: Is it close enough for me to reach it?

Possible: Can I get to it without compromising my other more important responsibilities?

If the answer to ALL three is yes, then clearing the bat is the right decision. If any are no, then it is not.