Juan Carlos Escarra of Algodoneros Union Laguna looks on during the fourth inning of the fourth playoff game between Sultanes de Monterrey and Algodoneros Union Laguna as part of Liga Mexicana de Beisbol 2023 at Estadio Revolucion on August 13, 2023 in Torreon, Mexico. (Photo by Jos Alvarez/Jam Media/Getty Images)
By Julian Guilarte
World Baseball Network
JC Escarra will return to play with the Leones de Ponce in Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, Yusseff Diaz told World Baseball Network.
Escarra played 47 games with the Leones de Ponce last winter and had two home runs, 25 RBI, with an OPS of .748.
The Leones de Ponce were founded in 1938 and has won 10 league championships, with their last one coming in 2009. They won their lone Caribbean Series in 1973. Ponce is in it’s second season in LBPRC since the club was revived.
“Escarra is a great left-handed power bat. He played in a good league and was an all-star last year with Leones de Ponce,” Yusseff Diaz of Pelota Cubana USA told World Baseball Network.
Escarra recently played in the Baseball Champions League for Leones de Yucatan in Mexico. He went 4-for-8 with two doubles in three games from September 28 to October 1.
Escarra also played in Liga Mexicana de Beisbol this past summer from June 20 to August 6, playing 21 games each with Toros de Tijuana and Algodoneros de Unión Laguna. He led the Mexican League with seven home runs in the playoffs.
Before heading to Mexico, Escarra played in the Atlantic League with the Gastonia Honey Hunters from April 28 to June 16. He had 15 home runs, 41 RBI, and an an OPS of 1.131. He won Player of the Month in May, hitting eight home runs and driving in 31 runs.
Escarra was born in Hialeah, Florida, and was drafted by the New York Mets in the 32nd round out of Mater Academy Charter in the 2013 MLB Draft, but decided to go to school at FIU. He hit 20 home runs in four seasons at FIU from 2013-17.
In 2017, he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 15th round. He played 58 games with the Orioles rookie ball team to finish out 2017.
In 2018, he started the season with High-A Aberdeen. He hit six home runs with an OPS of .934 in 51 games with the IronBirds. He got called up to the Orioles High-A Frederick Keys and played the last 12 games of his season with them. In 2019 he played 127 games with the Keys hitting 13 home runs in 442 at bats.
In 2021, he started his season with the Orioles Double-A affiliate, the Bowie Baysox, where he played 58 games before getting called up to their Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, Virginia. He combined to hit eight home runs in 95 games in 2021 and was designated for assignment by the Orioles on March 19, 2022.
Escarra will play the first two weeks of the winter in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico with the Algodoneros de Guasave, then play the rest of the winter with Leones de Ponce.