Jean Casanova is a professional baseball player in the Texas Rangers system playing as a pitcher. He is currently in the late stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which is on the player’s elbow, and it can typically take anywhere from 1 to 2 years to fully recover.

Early in our conversation, Jean broke down his personal strategy that goes into deciding which type of pitch to throw based on the batter, count, and numerous other factors, including game situation. He talked about baseball in the Dominican Republic and playing makeshift baseball in the DR using a bottle cap and a broomstick. He suggested that if you can manage to hit a bottle cap with a broomstick, you can hit a baseball with a bat.

In his free time, Jean is a gamer and streamer primarily playing Call of Duty and NBA 2K. Not only does he play games, but he is a playable character in MLB: The Show for the Texas Rangers double A affiliate. Jean joked that the developers could have done a better job on his in-game appearance.

Jean also shed some light on the challenges of balancing his passion for gaming with a professional baseball schedule, as well as the similarities between gaming and baseball in terms of reading your opponent.

The Ultimate Gamer Podcast: All About The Game! is a show that features conversations with trailblazers, thought leaders, risk takers, decision makers, celebrities, athletes, and investors who are defining the esports space.

This podcast is for you if you love gaming, you’re a part of the esports community, you’re interested in learning more about the esports business, you want to improve your gaming performance, or you’re an aspiring professional gamer.

We’re going to decode who and what’s making news in the industry while we explore the habits, best practices, successes, and setbacks faced by our guests.