Former Orioles prospect gets long awaited first Major League hit

The New York Yankees have made a lot of news early in the season. Aaron Judge is already in mid-season form and looking to be the first back-to-back AL MVP since Miguel Cabrera in 2012-2013. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been nearly as productive and there has been some news about the bats they’ve been using. 

The big name rookie everyone is keeping an eye is Jasson ‘The Martian’ Domínguez, who has gotten off to a solid start in his first full big league season. But there’s another rookie on the Yankees that has been one of the best stories in baseball this year. Former Orioles prospect JC Escarra has finally broken through to the major leagues. 

Drafted by the O’s in the 15th round of the 2017 draft, expectations for Escarra were never through the roof. He had split playing time in college and summer league between first base and catcher. The Orioles liked Escarra as a first baseman and played him there exclusively for four seasons (the 2020 minor league season was cancelled). 

Former Orioles' prospect JC Escarra finally notched his first career hit just before his 30th birthday

Escarra made it all the way to Norfolk in 2021 and posted solid numbers in his 58 games with the Tides, but was not brought back following the season. Prior to being released, Escarra was given an opportunity to show his skills behind home plate, but it was not enough to change the Orioles' minds. With no other teams offering a contract, Escarra turned to the Independent League. 

Between 2022-2024 Escarra continued to play professional baseball in the Independent Leagues and winter ball in Puerto Rico. He continued playing first base and added some time in the corner outfield positions but most importantly returned to catching. Escarra was primarily catching during the 2023-2024 Puerto Rican Winter League season when he caught the attention of the Yankees.

After signing a contract with New York, Escarra began the 2024 season in Double-A. He earned his way back to Triple-A for the first time in three years and had a solid season, but the Yankees wanted to see more. Escarra played in the Dominican Winter League where he slashed .363/.467/.558 and won the league batting title, earning him a spot on the team’s 40-man roster. 

Escarra continued his hot hitting in spring training and earned a spot on the Yankees' Opening Day roster. Eight years after being drafted and being just a step away from being totally out of baseball, Escarra was finally going to be a Major Leaguer. He made his debut in the second game of the season when he pinch hit for Austin Wells in a lopsided affair. He made two putouts on two opportunities but went 0-2 at the plate. 

Making his first major league start on Thursday, Escarra would get plenty of chances to record that first hit in another high scoring game. After putting the ball in play in each of his first three at-bats of the game, the moment Escarra had been waiting for his whole life finally came in the seventh. Three weeks before his 30th birthday Escarra roped a shot down the right field line for a double. 

The joy and excitement was obvious as Escarra emphatically celebrated his first hit while Yankee players applauded from the dugout. Chisholm collected the ball and pretended to throw it into the stands, as is custom for a first career hit. It’s been a long road for Escarra but he’s finally living out his dream. Even playing on a division rival, you can’t help but be happy for him.