Toronto Blue Jays catcher Dioner Navarro throws the ball in a drill during baseball spring training in Dunedin, Fla., on Wednesday, February 25, 2015. Navarro is the king of the console when it comes to gaming among Blue Jays players. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
March 01, 2015 - 7:42 AM
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Spring training is a time to answer Blue Jays questions. But not when it comes to video games.
Catcher Dioner Navarro is the king of the console castle.
Navarro, an avid soccer fan, excels at the made-in-Canada FIFA soccer game. But the longtime Barcelona supporter declines to blow his own gaming horn.
"Go ask Pillar and Goins," he said with a smile.
Both outfielder Kevin Pillar and second baseman Ryan Goins have been schooled by the 31-year-old Florida-based Venezuelan, it seems.
"I've got a little game, but nothing compared to Navarro," said Goins. "He's unbelievable. I played him the other night. It was embarrassing."
"Dioner's the best player I ever see play that game," said Pillar. "This guy's the real deal. Goins is pretty good and I saw Dioner put a pretty good beatdown on him the other day."
Pillar says he has an excuse for his play.
"I got married this off-season so my video game playing slowed down a lot more," he said. "I haven't been playing like the rest of these guys. But it's fun, it gives you something to do when the day's over and you're tired. It keeps you out of trouble. It keeps you at home, lets you relax, gets your mind off baseball.
"And it's fun, with the way video games are now we can just say 'Hey Navarro, get on line, let's play right now.'"
Pillar and Goins also play hockey on the console.
Navarro often walks into the locker-room in a Barcelona shirt and always has a good handle on what games are on TV from the Champions League to Mexican game action.
"I've got too many channels," he said with a smile.
Said Goins: "It fits right in. He watches soccer and then plays it right after. It's perfect."
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News from © The Canadian Press, 2015