After six seasons in the minor leagues with the Reds I found myself in free agency for the first time. I had finished a full season in AAA hitting .200 with no power. My playing time had diminished and the team (rightfully so) had no intention of signing me back. I wasn’t intriguing to other teams so I was faced with a decision: retire or play independent baseball. It was a thought that has never crossed my mind before but after a bit of deliberation I decided to give it another shot. In the off season I bought a MAX BP machine and trained with it for a few months before I left for the season. The reason I chose this trainer was because it isn’t gimmicky, it just makes hitting harder than it should be. I figured that if I used a bat with a small barrel to hit a small whiffle ball then hitting a baseball would be a little bit easier. Long story short… I was right. I hit .368 with 30 doubles and 25 home runs last season and was awarded the league MVP. More than that, it gave me a second chance at affiliated baseball as I’m looking to sign with a new team in the upcoming months. So thank you for this product. I owe a great deal of success to it. And if you’re ever struggling to square up a baseball, just remember the words of Mel Gibson - “aim small, miss small”