Hit Hero
We Turned a Problem into a Playbook For Hero Co.
Hit Hero is a founder-built innovation that started as a kitchen counter experiment, to now being a patent-pending product worn in MLB clubhouses and sold globally. Developed by the Hero Company’s leading Founder Justin Rattray, he proved with Hit Hero that community-led design, lean testing methods, and infinite perseverance can turn a simple idea into a scalable global brand, thus laying the foundation for Hero Company.
Overview
Hit Hero is a multi-positional thumb guard designed to reduce bat sting and improve grip for baseball players. Created by Hero Company founder Justin Rattray after he injured his hand playing baseball, the product solved a common pain point for hitters at every level - protection without restriction. Hit Hero was made to allow players to wear it how they prefer, and to not impede on their current swing, or how they position the bat in their hands.
What started as a personal DIY fix with a 3D printer and some silicone, quickly became a globally selling product in the baseball hitting accessory market.
Challenge
Baseball hitters at all levels deal with the issue of ‘getting jammed’ from inside pitches or off-barrel contact with their baseball bat.. Existing products were too rigid, uncomfortable, clunky, boring and failed to fit the needs of Hero’s founder, Justin when he was searching for a goldilocks product. Nothing on the market offered comfort, adaptability, and protection in one - so he thought ‘Why not?’ and made his own.
With the founder’s perseverance, combined with an agency and design-led background, limited resources, a 3D printer, some silicone and the determination to build something better, the Hit Hero V1 was born.
Approach
Hit Hero was born from grassroots problem-solving. Through trial and error, Justin taught himself 3D printing and design, materials science, molding, as well as human physiology and anatomy, all while experimenting with silicone and polymers at home after working his career job.
Within that time, Justin built and designed over 40 prototypes, testing each one himself before sending samples to amateur and professional players that he would personally reach out to and make connections with via instagram or email, or even on social networks like Reddit to collect real community feedback.
As demand grew, Hero Company refined and scaled the process:
We Aligned on patents and trademarks to secure the brand and IP once the concept was proven successful
We Partnered with a U.S. manufacturer and distributor for mass production and global distribution
Justin and the team transitioned to an advanced shapeable thermoplastic that allowed players to custom-fit the product to their hand, while also providing more durability and shock absorption
Our team designed eye-popping retail-ready packaging with best-in-class brand visuals
We Established a full D2C and wholesale model via Shopify, Amazon, and major retailers, with even locking in partnerships and relationships from other leading baseball countries like in Japan and Taiwan.
Hit Hero to this day continues to evolve through athlete and community feedback, which is the same iterative, data-driven blueprint that Hero Company now uses across every new product launch, for both our customers and our own initiatives.
Results
What started as a dining table experiment in 2022, quickly became a recognizable innovation that has been disrupting the baseball hand protection market since its launch in 2023.
Conclusion
Justin and Hit Hero validated a product concept and go-to-market idea, allowing it to be the genesis of the Hero Company process: be lean, be iterative, and lead with the athlete in mind.
We proved that world-class products don’t need massive teams or funding to succeed; they need curiosity, grit, and community.
Every step of Hit Hero’s growth, from prototyping and sourcing to retail execution became the blueprint for Hero Labs, Hero Company’s in-house product development engine.
The lesson: when you build from a real problem and listen to real users, the market follows. No matter how big or small that product is.
