J.C. Escarra

From BR Bullpen

Juan Carlos Escarra
(The Hialeah Cannon)

BR page

Biographical Information[edit]

Catcher J.C. Escarra was less than a month shy of his 30th birthday when he made his major league debut for the New York Yankees in their second game of the 2025 season on March 29th. The game was a historic one in that the Yankees set a new team record by hitting nine homers that day, among various records they set, and as the game was a blowout from the start, manager Aaron Boone gave some of his regulars a rest, allowing J.C. to pinch-hit for C Austin Wells in the 7th inning, and then play the final two innings behind the plate in what was a 20-9 beatdown. He had attracted interest during spring training that year due to his unusual career path that had included working shifts as a Uber driver and as a substitute school teacher in order to make ends meet when it appeared his career was heading nowhere.

He was originally drafted by the New York Mets coming out of high school in the 32nd round of the 2013 amateur draft and again by the Baltimore Orioles in 15th round of the 2017 amateur draft, out of Florida International University. He played in the Orioles system until 2021, sitting out the 2020 season when the minor leagues were shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic and reaching AAA for 58 games the final season. However, he was released before the start of the 2022 season and after contemplating retirement, he found himself playing in the independent leagues that year, with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association. He then played in the Atlantic League and the Mexican League in 2023 before appearing for the Leones de Ponce in the 2024 Caribbean Series. That caught the attention of the Yankees, who signed him before the 2024 season. He hit .234 in 73 games for the AA Somerset Patriots that year, but really caught the top brass's attention when he hit .302 with 8 homers and 34 RBIs in 52 games after a mid-season promotion to the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He was added to the 40-man roster after another strong performance in the winter leagues when he won a batting title with the Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican League. In 2025, he made the team as the main back-up to Austin Wells, after the position had been opened by the trade of the previous year's occupant, Jose Trevino; he beat out experienced major leaguer Alex Jackson for the job.

J.C. collected his first career hit on April 3rd, a 7th-inning double off Jalen Beeks in a 9-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The game also marked his first start behind the dish.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Bryan Hoch: "Your driver has arrived. Next stop for Escarra: The Bronx?", mlb.com, February 25, 2025. [1]
  • Bryan Hoch: "From driver to big leaguer: Escarra's crazy route ends with Yanks roster spot", mlb.com, March 22, 2025. [2]
  • Bryan Hoch: "1st start, 1st hit! Former rideshare driver doubles for inspiring knock", mlb.com, April 4, 2025. [3]

Related Sites[edit]

Retrieved from "https://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/index.php?title=J.C._Escarra&oldid=1420221"
Create a new username