From Uber Driver To Yankees Catcher: How J.C. Escarra Never Gave Up On His Dream
- Dominic Konareski
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
New York City is synonymous with taxis. Those yellow Ford Crown Victoria cabs have taken the streets of all five boroughs for decades. For one New York Yankee player, shuttling people around was his job as he pressured his dream.
Before J.C. Escarra became a semi-regular in the New York Yankees lineup, he was grinding in the Miami area with his black Lexus sedan. Escarra took his uber using passengers to destinations in the greater Miami area. Airports, office buildings, restaurants and everywhere in between helped Escarra financially as he pursued his Major League career.
J.C. Escarra refused to give up on his dreams of playing in The Show and has proudly maintained a five star driver rating. He got married and bought a house, and knew that he had to step up. “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.”
So Escarra began grinding in the leased Lexus of his, and would later add substitute teaching, food delivery and even coaching youth baseball, making an estimated extra $4,000 a month at its peak.
After working non-stop outside of baseball, he was able to pursue his dreams and finally got the opportunity he was waiting for. The Yankees signed Escarra to a minor league contract in 2024, which would later see him slash .302/.403/.527 in 57 games – add on an offseason Dominican Winter League batting title and he would then be added to New York’s 40-man roster.
J.C. Escarra made his Major League debut with the New York Yankees on March 29th, 2025, and has balanced between playing in the Bronx and Triple-AAA SWB. Overall in 72 Major League games (40 in 2025 / 32 in 2026), Escarra has notched 2 home runs and 18 RBIs while carrying a .570 OPS, for a 0.1 WAR.
Although Escarra is hitting a sub .200 in the Majors this season, he has continued to dominate at the Triple-AAA level with a .315 batting average and a .964 OPS in 19 games for the RailRiders. This has allowed him to stay relevant on New York’s radar, which has opened up the catcher category with Ali Sanchez getting time in the bigs now as well.
Escarra’s career path with the Yankees does not seem crystal clear going into August of 2026, it’s undeniable that his hard work ethic and determination to play Major League Baseball is something that has propelled him to the opportunity he has now playing at the Cathedral of Baseball that is Yankee Stadium.
Comments