J.C. Escarra

J.C. Escarra was driving an Uber and substitute teaching before he became a member of the New York Yankees. That's not a metaphor. After the Orioles released him in 2022, he picked up shifts wherever he could -- food delivery, contractor work, coaching youth baseball -- while grinding through independent ball in the hope that someone would give him one more shot. Someone did.

Path to the Bronx

The Orioles drafted Escarra in the 15th round of the 2017 draft out of Florida International University, where he'd hit .305 with 15 homers as a senior. He spent nearly five years in Baltimore's minor league system, mostly as a corner infielder, before getting released at the end of 2022 spring training. What followed was a stretch that would've broken most guys -- independent ball in the American Association, winter ball in Puerto Rico, a stint in the Mexican League, and odd jobs to pay the bills in between.

In January 2024, the Yankees signed him to a minor league deal as a catcher. (Yes, he'd converted positions.) He spent the year at Double-A and Triple-A, caught well enough to turn heads, and earned the James P. Dawson Award as the top rookie in 2025 spring training. When Aaron Boone named the Opening Day roster, Escarra was on it. He called his mom from the clubhouse. The video went everywhere.

Yankees Career

Escarra appeared in 36 games for the 2025 Yankees across three stints, hitting .202/.288/.333 with two homers and 11 RBI. He started 24 games behind the plate and posted a 3.27 catcher's ERA -- solid defense from a guy who hadn't been a full-time catcher until recently. He also saw time at first base and third base.

The batting average wasn't pretty, but that's not why he was there. He was there because he could catch, handle a pitching staff, and give Austin Wells days off without the defense falling apart.

Key Moments

The Role

Escarra is the backup catcher -- the guy who catches two or three games a week, keeps the pitching staff comfortable, and doesn't hurt you defensively. The bat is a work in progress, but his 3.27 catcher's ERA shows he knows how to manage a game from behind the plate. And for a player who converted to catching just a year before his debut, that's impressive.

What makes Escarra valuable goes beyond the stat line. Backup catchers live and die by the stuff you don't see on the box score -- framing borderline pitches, calling the right sequence in a 3-2 count, knowing when to go to the mound and when to let a pitcher figure it out on his own. Escarra's background as a corner infielder actually helps here. He spent years watching games from across the diamond, studying how pitchers worked, and that perspective carried over when he strapped on the gear. The pitching staff trusted him almost immediately, which doesn't happen by accident.

His versatility adds another layer. The fact that he can slide over to first base or third base on days when Boone needs to shuffle the lineup gives the roster flexibility that most backup catchers can't offer. He's not going to win a Gold Glove at any of those positions, but he won't embarrass himself either -- and for a 26th man on the roster, that's exactly what you want. A guy who can catch, play the corners, and handle himself professionally after spending two years delivering food and driving strangers to the airport. That kind of perspective tends to produce a pretty good teammate.

His story is one of the best in the 2025 Yankees clubhouse. It's hard not to root for the guy.