Split Hitter was invented during the dog days of summer on a minor league baseball bus ride home from Little Rock, AK. Cardinals players Mike Antico(OF), Pedro”Papi”Pages(C), and Connor Lunn(P) were sitting on the back of the bus ancy from the summer heat and uncomfortably having free time during a rare off-day spitballing ideas to improve their game when the topic of training products came up. “Why isn’t there a tool to help with that split grip we’ve been doing?” Pedro asked. Michael and Pedro both regularly practiced the age old “split grip” drill which involves splitting your hand to grip the bat almost like an axe. This will improve your swing path and helps you get your bat to the ball quicker. However just keeping your hands spaced apart is inconsistent and an uncomfortable. To fix this they started wrapping tape around the handle of their bat and test different sizes and strength. It was so effective Pedro decided to use it in a game. When he got to the on deck circle his hands kept slipping and he got frustrated and had to toss the bat aside. Seeing this Mike asked “What if we make a tool that slides easily on and off the handle and provides the right amount of separation and resistance between your hands?” As luck would have it Connor hears this and mentions that his brother Troy Lunn is pretty handy when it comes to 3D printing. A lightbulb went off. “The rest is history” as Mike would say.
The three immediately got to work to build a team, design a product, gather data, and then achieved significant positive results. The perfect split grip tool was born.
We are proud to share with the world a state of the art tool real professional hitters created to take their game to the next level. This product wasn’t made to be sold it was made to be shared. We take great pride in knowing that we are helping hitters all over the world unlock their extra potential so they can achieve their dreams.
Our team at Split Hitter is dedicated to making sure we do our part to help both our environment and keep jobs local. Split Hitter is a carbon negative product that is handmade in America, designed in California, and made with biodegradable corn-based plastics.
Split Hitter is a training tool ergonomically designed to help you improve your swing path and make better contact with the ball. By providing the perfect amount of separation and resistance Split Hitter will help you develop a more efficient swing. The "Split Grip" drill is currently used by 100s of professional players and is perfect for your daily routine!
Pedro Pagés is a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals from Venezuela. His pitchers love him for his defensive skills but they call him papi for a reason. Pedro had 16 HRs in just 424 ABs last season and showed his clutch abilities earning a spot as a 2023 TEX Post-Season All-Star!
He moved to the Miami when he was four years old and was immediately playing tee-ball. Having grown up in a baseball family with a grandfather who was a president of team in Venezuela baseball has been part of Pedro’s life forever. He loves everything about the game from the people you meet to the places you play. As a catcher he excels by using his knowledge of the game to create an intangible affect on his teams defensive performance. Pedros advice to players who want to play professionally is to “find a good routine and stick to it. Find a way to get your body right to play at the highest level possible consistently. Having that in your back pocket is important to being a professional and succeeding at a high level.“ Papi’s personal greatest achievement is being known as a great defensive player that’s focused on helping his team win.
Pedro uses split hitter as a drill to get his body and swing right before he takes live at bats. He uses it to get a good feel for his swing mechanics and feeling his swing moving in the right direction.
Connor Lunn is a right handed pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He has been recognized as an organization all star and has one of the nastiest breaking balls around. Connor embodies the heart and soul of a team and loves the spirit and comrodory of the game. He has always wanted to perform at a high level playing baseball and loves to do well for his team. He is the guy that brings the energy to a club house and brings a team together. Connor’s advice to someone that wants to play professionally is “Focus on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to anyone who’s in front of you or behind you. Staying in your own lane in the biggest key to success. The worst thing you can do is look ahead and get rattled and another worse thing is looking behind you and getting comfortable. Also avoid the avoidable don’t get a DUI, don’t get a 2.0 and not be eligible do the right thing and it will work out.” Connor’s most memorable baseball accomplishment was making first team all pac 12 his junior year in college as a walk on. He was playing at USC which is multiple family members Alma Mater.
From a pitchers perspective split hitter makes you more dangerous as a hitter because it allows you more time to react. If you have a shorter bat path you can get your foot down earlier see the ball better and cover more of the plate. You can make better contact which makes little dribbler you would hit become base hits.
Mike Antico is an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals from New Jersey. He is a power hitting lefty who has earned recognition as an organization all star. At a young age Mike knew right away that he wanted nothing else other than to be a professional baseball player. Growing up he was inspired by his grandfather who loved the game but stopped his career early to start a family. This love of the game transferred through every Antico. There is a picture of Mike with a baseball in his hand as a baby. From day one everyone knew would love baseball. “I was never really pushed. No one ever said hey Mike you gotta pick up a bat and start swinging. Hey Mike you gotta go practice. I always had the drive to go practice everyday, get better everyday, and play everyday.” He took inspiration from the old school great hitters such as Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. Mike's advice to young players who dream of playing professionally is “If you want to play at a professional level you have to be able to show up every day and love what you’re doing. You gotta love the game and have passion for it. If not then you have to find what you’re passionate about.” Mike's favorite baseball moment came during the CWS in Omaha where he got his first little taste of the big leagues playing in front of 30,000 people. This experience gave him motivation by showing him what he wanted every single night for the rest of his life. Throughout college Michael used the split grip drill often to correct a bad habit of rolling over on the ball. Mike starts his hitting routine with a heavy bat then switches to a light bat and then goes to split hitter. He uses it as a warm up and goes back and forth between his regular swing until it’s where he wants it to be.
Check out our instructional video to learn how to best use SplitHitter!
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