A NEW York Yankees prospect has a chance to make the ball club for the 2025 season – and his journey is out-of-the-ordinary, to say the least.
Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra had to make ends meet in order to be a potential MLB player.
3
3
The Yankees pitchers and catchers arrived at Spring Training last week in Tampa, Florida.
And the older-than-usual 29-year-old backstop prospect Escarra has a chance of being on the MLB Opening Day roster, but it took a lot to reach this point.
He caught up with the New York Post’s Joel Sherman and shared his story.
According to the report, Escarra, who was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB Draft, has had to work multiple jobs during his baseball career.
The jobs include working as an Uber driver, a food deliverer, a high school substitute teacher, working for a contractor, and a private baseball coach to pay the bills, per The Post.
A product from Florida International University, Escarra traveled through the Orioles minor league system and was a first baseman along the way.
However, he was released by Baltimore in April of 2022 after 350 minor league game appearances.
Escarra then made stops with independent and foreign leagues.
During that period, he desired to return to catching duties.
So Escarra began watching videos on the Internet to better his skills at the position, according to the New York Post’s report.
It wouldn’t be long before Yankees scout Raul Gonzalez discovered him before the 2024 season.
Escarra signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees last January, with the expectation for him to play catcher, first base, or serve as the designated hitter.
After 72 games at Double-A Somerset, where he batted an unimpressive .233 batting average, he was promoted to Triple-Al Scranton/Wilkes Barre and went on a tear.
Escarra batted .302 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs in 52 games.
The Yankees added him to the 40-man roster in November, helping him land a spot in Tampa this month.
Yankees director of scouting Matt Daley gave a glowing review of what he thinks of Escarra and his path to the Yankees.
“An unbelievable story of perseverance of willing yourself to get better, not giving up,” Daley told the New York Post.
“It really is.
“I have goosebumps just talking about it right now, because these are the stories that I think we all live for.”
Escarra currently is listed as No. 3 on the Yankees catcher depth chart behind Austin Wells.
3
“I will make that Opening Day roster. I believe it,” he told The New York Post.
