Your driver has arrived. Next stop for Escarra: The Bronx?
Bryan Hoch
@BryanHochTAMPA, Fla. -- The passengers piled into the back seat of J.C. Escarra¡¯s vehicle, some commenting on the clean interior of his black Lexus sedan while zipping to destinations in the greater Miami area. Shuttled to airports, office buildings and everywhere in between, not one realized they had been driven by a baseball player.
Picking up those fares helped keep the lights on for Escarra at the most challenging crossroads of his career, a period in which he refused to give up on his dream of reaching the Major Leagues. Escarra proudly maintained a five-star rating on his Uber profile, and he is garnering the same reviews as he vies to make the Yankees¡¯ Opening Day roster.
¡°I had just gotten married and bought an apartment with my wife [Jocelyn],¡± said Escarra, 29. ¡°So now I¡¯ve got a mortgage to pay and a wife to provide for. I had to make money somehow, and no one was going to take away my home from me. I knew I had to make those payments, so I was doing anything it took.¡±
Selected by the Orioles in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, Escarra was a left-handed-hitting first baseman who advanced as far as Triple-A Norfolk, but Baltimore brass seemingly regarded him only as an organizational player. His release came in April 2022, setting Escarra on a winding path through the back roads of pro ball.
On the day Baltimore set him loose, Escarra begged a catching coordinator to watch him make throws to second base, reminding him that he¡¯d worn shin guards at Florida International University -- ¡°They called me the Hialeah Cannon,¡± he said. That display didn¡¯t save his O¡¯s tenure, but Escarra had discovered a way forward.
¡°I was about to hang it up,¡± Escarra said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t working out for me, but I still knew in my heart I should give it a try.¡±
Escarra signed with the independent Kansas City Monarchs the next day, then enjoyed a good winter ball showing in Puerto Rico. His catching skills had been rusty and raw, but there was promise. The Rangers owned his independent league rights, but balked at the contractual $15,000 price tag to add him to their system.
¡°They told me, ¡®J.C., look, we would love to have you for a Minor League job, but we could just sign another free agent catcher to fill the same spot,¡¯¡± Escarra said. ¡°So I had four months there that, either I give it another shot or hang it up. My wife told me, ¡®As long as our mortgage is covered, we¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ She¡¯s a teacher, and we were going to make it through somehow.¡±
So Escarra started to grind, fighting traffic in that leased Lexus. It hardly produced the windfall he¡¯d hoped for; after registering about 15 or 20 fares, Escarra realized he¡¯d need to hustle more to keep the bill collectors at bay.
¡°It didn¡¯t end up paying much. I don¡¯t know how guys do it,¡± Escarra said. ¡°I was wasting money, a lot of gas. People don¡¯t tip. [The passengers] were happy with the rides, and I never got a complaint -- [there were] a lot of old ladies that don¡¯t drive, going to doctor¡¯s appointments and stuff like that.¡±
Escarra continued driving several times a week, picking up numerous fares to Miami International Airport. Soon, he added substitute teaching, food delivery, contractor work and youth baseball coaching. All told, Escarra estimates that he cleared between $3,000 and $4,000 a month.
¡°We were living paycheck to paycheck, but we were making it happen,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t drive at night or on the weekends; maybe that¡¯s where the money is.¡±
On-field opportunities followed with the independent Gastonia (N.C.) Honey Hunters, in the Mexican League and in Puerto Rico -- worlds away from Yankee Stadium. But he hit well, caught well, and the Yankees¡¯ pro scouting department was paying attention. The organization offered him a Minor League contract in January 2024.
Initially the third catcher behind Ben Rice and Agustin Ram¨ªrez with Double-A Somerset, Escarra finished last season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he posted a .302/.403/.527 slash line in 52 games. He then won a batting title in the Dominican Winter League, prompting his addition to the 40-man roster.
¡°Seeing him at the end of the year versus what we saw at the beginning of the year was unbelievable,¡± said Shelley Duncan, who managed Escarra in Triple-A. ¡°He was awesome on both sides of the ball; high energy behind the plate and worked really well with pitchers. He was really in tune with the game plan and in tune with building relationships.
¡°His development was awesome, and he carried into the Dominican this winter, where you¡¯re seeing really good arms. I¡¯m really excited for that guy.¡±
Aaron Gershenfeld, the Yankees¡¯ defensive coordinator, told NJ Advance Media that the club¡¯s internal defensive metrics painted Escarra as the No. 1 receiver in Triple-A and a 98th percentile receiver across the Minor Leagues.
¡°It¡¯s honestly amazing at how fast he started to improve once he started to get the hang of the things we were teaching him,¡± Gershenfeld said.
Austin Wells is set to begin his first full season as the Bombers¡¯ starting catcher, and his backup is yet to be determined. Wells didn¡¯t pick a favorite for the job, but he called Escarra a ¡°hard worker¡± who has ¡°a very strong belief in his abilities.¡±
¡°I know he didn¡¯t have the normal route to where he¡¯s at right now,¡± Wells said. ¡°Even just being where he is, I know it¡¯s super awesome and exciting for him. He has the ability to be as good as he wants to be. I really believe that.¡±
Could Escarra¡¯s next stop be in the Bronx? He sounds confident it will be.
¡°I think I¡¯m the man for the job, to be honest,¡± Escarra said. ¡°I believe I can do it. Talent-wise, I think I have what it takes. It¡¯s just getting to know the pitchers and building that trust with them. If they feel good on the mound with me back there, the sky is the limit.¡±