Litsch joins the Bluefish for his first season in the Atlantic League. Last year, he served as pitching coordinator for MLB China’s development center. This past February, he was the pitching coach for Team Philippines in the World Baseball Classic qualifier.

The 30-year-old began his playing career in 2005 after being selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 24th round of the 2004 MLB draft. He spent his entire seven-year career with the Blue Jays organization, making his MLB debut in 2007. The Florida native had a career-best campaign in 2008, when he earned 13 victories, including two complete game shutouts, and struck out 99 batters in 176.0 innings.

In five seasons, Litsch made 88 big league appearances and collected a 4.16 ERA with 27 wins and 239 strikeouts in 417.2 innings. He played his last game in 2011 after an injury to his throwing arm forced him to retire.

Jesse entered into the world of baseball in 2000, when he served as the Public Relations Assistant for the Tampa Bay Rays. He also served as the batboy for the Rays during the next two seasons.

The former big league pitcher is also very active in the community. He hosts the annual Jesse Litsch & Bechtel Financial Charity Golf Tournament to benefit children’s charities, which is now in its sixth year.