By Noah Epstein
Second chances in professional baseball are a rarity.
After getting released and contemplating retirement, J.C. Escarra capitalized on a second chance and is now on the verge of a lifelong dream – playing in the majors for the New York Yankees.
The self-proclaimed “Hialeah Cannon” had an unorthodox and truly improbable road toward his dream, all stemming from when he revived his career playing for Gastonia in the Atlantic League.
Prior to joining the Gastonia Honey Hunters (now called Ghost Peppers) in 2023, Escarra spent five years in the Baltimore Orioles organization. Following a 2021 season with Triple-A Norfolk in which he hit just .225 and drove in 21 runs in 58 games, Escarra was notified that he’d been released by the club.
The news sparked a period of uncertainty for Escarra, as he considered hanging up his cleats.
“I was going through a hard time,” Escarra said. “I had just gotten released, just got married, just bought an apartment so I had to put my big-boy pants on and try to provide for my family. I was doing all types of jobs just trying to make ends meet, but luckily I gave it one more shot.”
And that shot proved to be well worth it.
Escarra decided he wanted to play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent league. The premise for the league is “providing players a second chance to get back to Major League Baseball,” as stated by ALPB president Rick White on the league website.
The Atlantic League has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations over its 26-year history.
“It’s no secret the Atlantic League is one of the best indy ball leagues out there,” Escarra said. “A lot of opportunity, a lot of ex-big leaguers, so much talent in that league. So that’s where I wanted to be. I reached out to many teams in the Atlantic League, but the guys over at Gastonia really believed in me and gave me an opportunity.”
He received the opportunity and took full advantage.
In 41 games with Gastonia, Escarra slashed .348/.423/.707, which equals an OPS of 1.131. By the time his contract was purchased by the Mexican League on June 15, he led the ALPB in home runs (15) and doubles (14).
There were two keys to Escarra’s success with Gastonia: significant improvement at the plate and versatility in the field.
The Hialeah, Florida, native had always been effective at the plate. But he had never put up production as consistently dominant as the numbers he posted in 2023. During that season, he manufactured career highs in batting average, on-base, slugging and home runs.
What adjustments did he make? Believe it or not, taking less batting practice was the key.
“Usually I try to over-hit, in the past I’ve hit too much,” Escarra said on May 10, 2023. “So this year, I actually changed it a little bit and I’m hitting less. I guess that is helping me mental wise at the plate – thinking less, thinking less about my swing and just seeing the ball and hitting it.”
Sometimes, less is more.
That certainly was the case with Escarra, as his productivity led him to win Atlantic League Player of the Month of April/May.
He exceeded expectations at the dish, at least according to “the guys” Escarra mentioned believing in him at Gastonia. More specifically, Escarra credited general manager Brady Salisbury and manager Mauro “Goose” Gozzo.
Salisbury, formerly the assistant GM when Escarra played for the club and currently the GM of the Ghost Peppers, praised his character while mentioning his surprising offensive output.
“Everybody said that he wasn’t just a great ball player, but he was really good in the clubhouse and would be a leader, which he definitely was when he got here,” Salisbury said. “What was surprising was that he was an even better hitter than what everybody was saying.”
Gozzo, who became the only back-to-back Manager of the Year Award winner in ALPB history following that 2023 season, had the same answer when asked what impressed him the most.
“His hitting,” Gozzo said without hesitation. “I threw batting practice to him a few times and when you throw him inside, he’s on it. If he wants to go the other way and you wanna try to beat him away, it’s never over in the at-bat with him. I saw that early in the season and I think that’s when we made him into the 2-hole hitter.”
Aside from the offensive numbers that popped out on his Baseball Reference page, Escarra showed off his versatility with Gastonia, playing five different positions: catcher, right field, left field, first base and third base. Having primarily been a first baseman and catcher prior to that season, Escarra displayed his value all over the diamond.
“It showed many scouts and many teams that I can do more than just catch, that I can play different positions,” Escarra said.
Escarra played outfield for the first time in his pro career in 2023. He said he was grateful to Salisbury and Gozzo for giving him that chance, recognizing how it aided him throughout his journey.
“They gave me an opportunity to play different positions and it really took off from there because I was able to take that into Mexico, Mexico into winter ball, winter ball into now with the Yankees,” Escarra said. “I’m known as a utility player that could do more than [just] catch. And I think that’s helped me get to the level that I’m at today.”
Salisbury reciprocated the sentiment, noting his appreciation for Escarra’s willingness to be flexible.
“What was really cool about J.C. was that he was very willing to play basically any position if it meant having his bat in the lineup,” Salisbury said. “And of course, once we saw him in batting practice, once we saw him in live (at-bats), we knew we were gonna have to get creative with getting him in the lineup… You don’t see it very often with guys being willing to play out of position – J.C. was willing to do that and then some.”
Scouts started to take notice. Escarra had received interest from a handful of pro teams, and decided to join the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League.
He played his last game with Gastonia on June 15, and ended his tenure fittingly – hitting a 419-foot home run to dead center field in an 11-6 win. His final long ball with the club was the league-best 15th of the season.
Shortly after the game, Escarra packed his bags for Mexico. Just a couple years after contemplating retirement, he was given a new opportunity and was off to the next step of his baseball journey.
“I’m very excited,” Escarra said on the day of his departure. “What I heard is that they’re a great organization, like the Yankees of the Mexican League. They’re No. 1 in the division right now, so I’m going to help an already good team win.”
In addition to eyeing the Atlantic League, MLB scouts check in on players from the Mexican League as well. Escarra figured this was the best path of getting back to affiliated ball.
“I know that guys do get picked up from the Mexican League, so I’m gonna take what I’m doing here over there,” Escarra said. “That is my end result, end goal – to sooner or later get picked up by a major league team from there.”
Well, it’s safe to say Escarra accomplished his goal.
He was signed by the Yankees in January of 2024, spending the season with Double-A Somerset and also reaching Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Escarra had reached a dream for not only him, but for his dad as well.
Escarra’s parents are both from Cuba, and they immigrated to the U.S. as children. After moving to America, his father lived in Yonkers, New York for 15 years. He chose to support one team in particular.
“That was his team growing up and obviously if my pops was a Yankees fan, I was going to be a Yankees fan,” Escarra said. “I’m really proud that I could play for the Yankees and hopefully my dad can see me in The Bronx this year.”
Because of this, Escarra has always been a Yankees fan, even though he was born and raised in Hialeah, Florida. Entering the spring of 2024, he got to work alongside Nestor Cortes Jr., someone he’s always been close with.
Cortes Jr. is also from Hialeah, so the two grew up playing ball together.
“Me and Nestor go way back since we were little kids playing tee ball coach pitch with each other, against each other,” Escarra said. “We’re from the same hood, so it’s something that we rep very hard and we’re really proud of where we’re from.”
Escarra’s pride for his birthplace is evident in the nickname he created for himself – “The Hialeah Cannon.”
Hialeah: Where he’s from. Cannon: A catcher with a very strong arm.
The latter half of the nickname showed itself a ton with the Yankees organization, as Escarra was able to hone his craft behind the plate.
He caught 23 games for Double-A and 36 for Triple-A last season.
And his work impressed a lot of folks, including a superstar.
In Escarra’s ninth start behind the plate for Double-A Somerset, his battery mate was reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole. The Yankee ace was making a rehab start due to a right elbow inflammation injury that caused him to miss a chunk of the 2024 season. Following the outing, Cole gave Escarra high praise.
“[Escarra] did outstanding,” Cole said to reporter Matt Kardos. “He came up to me earlier today, and we communicated what we were looking for in terms of reading swings. And we got together a few times in the dugout, making sure that we were on the same page. He put down some good pitches and really caught some nice balls. So, I thought he was really outstanding.”
Looking back on Cole’s compliments over seven months later, the backstop remained appreciative.
“It means the world,” Escarra said. “Those words mean everything to me as a catcher… That great feedback just gives me fire to keep going, to stay hungry and to help these guys win.”
Escarra was called up to Triple-A, where he performed exceptionally well near the end of the season. He won International League Player of the Week during the week of Sept. 2, hitting 8-for-17 (.471) with six home runs and 12 RBIs, including a grand slam.
“Everyone wants to start off hot, but it’s even better to finish hot,” Escarra said. “I’m happy that I had a great year and I finished off strong, which really set me up to have a good spring training and open a lot of eyes.”
Just preceding 2025 spring training, Escarra began to open more eyes by winning the batting title in the Dominican Winter League. He hit a league-best .363 with a 1.025 OPS for the Aguilas Cibaenas. Escarra stressed that playing in the Dominican Republic shortly after the Triple-A season helped him to stay comfortable at and behind the plate.
“That’s why there’s winter ball leagues – to keep that success going,” Escarra said. “I finished off Triple-A strong and I didn’t want to take five or six months off, so I went over there to the best league outside of the big leagues. Thank God I had a lot of success.”
Aguilas was managed by Yadier Molina, so Escarra was able to soak up a ton of catching knowledge from the nine-time Gold Glove Award winner.
“As a catcher, I wanted to keep getting reps and keep bettering my craft. And what better way to do it than playing for Yadier Molina, one of the best catchers in the history of baseball,” Escarra said. “I learned a lot. It was great having him as my head coach and [he really taught] me about the mental side of baseball. Thinking ahead, reading swings. He helped me a lot, and those are things I’m gonna take with me this year.”
Fast forward to where we stand today, with Escarra trying to break out of Yankees camp and make the 2025 Opening Day roster. He’s currently on the 40-man roster and is competing for a wide-open backup catcher role for New York.
If you’re wondering about the chances of Escarra going from the Atlantic League to making the bigs for the first time, that would be roughly 0.17%.
Out of over 5,200 position players who have been in the Atlantic League, only nine have made MLB debuts following their time in the ALPB:
James Lofton (Nashua ‘00, Red Sox ‘01)
Bobby Hill (Newark ‘00, Cubs ‘02)
Mike Glavine (Somerset ‘02, Mets ‘03)
Stephen Drew (Camden ‘05, Diamondbacks ‘06)
Mel Stocker (Long Island ‘06, Brewers ‘07)
Brock Peterson (Bridgeport ‘12, Cardinals ‘13)
Allan Dykstra (Sugar Land ‘15, Rays ‘15)
Ildemaro Vargas (Bridgeport ‘15, Diamondbacks ‘17)
Ryan Court (Sugar Land ‘19, Mariners ‘19)
Escarra, who is eager to become the 10th member, arrived at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa on Jan. 20, exactly 22 days before pitchers and catchers were supposed to report.
“I’m here early because there’s a great opportunity for me this year to make the Opening Day roster,” Escarra said. “I want to show the coaches, I want to show the players, I want to show the staff that the job’s mine to take. I’m fully invested and I’m all for it.”
It seems like showing up early has paid off, as he’s off to a sizzling start this spring.
As of March 16, Escarra’s hitting .364 with a 1.036 OPS in 33 at-bats. He’s hit three home runs, tied for the most on the team, and has driven in seven.
Escarra’s goal to “open more eyes” is coming to fruition, as the “Yankee twitterverse” has started to converse about the backstop and beat reporters have projected him to make the team out of spring.
reporters have projected him to make the team out of spring.
“It’s been pretty unreal to see him, even the other day getting a hit off Paul Skenes,” Salisbury said. “It’s not unexpected, I know he has it in him. It’s just really cool to see now everybody, whether it’s on MLB TV or whether it’s on X, now everyone else is seeing it and hopping on the bandwagon. I couldn’t be more happy for the guy; he deserves it.”
The breakout spring has been especially significant to Gozzo, who has Yankee fandom in his family.
“My mom and dad are huge Yankee fans, so I was able to talk to my mom the other day when he hit a home run and my mom was there,” Gozzo said. “She watched him hit the home run and she remembers watching him with us, so pretty cool stuff.”
While on this remarkable path, Escarra has fully embraced where he played less than two years ago. He takes pride in his journey and is happy to be a role model for players currently in independent ball.
“I want my story to be an inspiration to others that are going through the same things I went through,” Escarra said. “And look where I’m at right now. So it is possible – those dreams do come true and if I can do it anybody can.”
Escarra’s spring success is much in part due to sticking with the same philosophy he went by while playing in Gastonia.
“You know what the trick is?” Escarra posed. “It’s not being too high and not being too low. Being the same guy every single day, no matter if you go 0-for-4 or 4-for-4.”
When asked what goal Escarra had entering this spring, he gave two.
“To keep being the same guy,” Escarra said. “The same J.C. that you’re gonna see in the big leagues is the same J.C. that was in indy ball for Gastonia.”
The other goal is emblematic of his story – a story featuring grit, perseverance and taking advantage of second chances. A story of a player’s career getting resurrected, leading him to work hard on every aspect of his game. And a story where said player is on the brink of potentially reaching a lifelong dream.
“Just showing that I belong,” Escarra said. “Yeah, my road was different, the way I got here was different, a little bit later than usual. But I belong on that field, I belong with all these guys and I could help the team win.”
Sometime over the next two weeks, it’ll be revealed whether or not Escarra will head to The Bronx for Opening Day on March 27 against the Brewers.
J.C. Escarra has shown that he belongs. He showed it back in 2023 with Gastonia, and he’s been showing it all spring.
So, it’s safe to say the next page is in his hands.