The Yankees quietly make moves, as many organizations do, but they may have found another gem prospect acquired from a familiar indy ball team.
It was recently announced that C/1B J.C. Escarra was named to the Yankees’ Opening Day roster, but his story is what has brought him and the Yankees so much attention of late. Escarra was acquired by the Yankees in 2024 after a flurry of international and independent baseball league action, after having been drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2017. The Orioles released Escarra in 2022 despite hitting .225/.316/.357/.673 in AAA Bowie.
The Yankees’ latest acquisition, which hasn’t been made official yet, is SS/3B Jacob Gatewood.
Gatewood was a 1st round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, but seemingly couldn’t figure it out while with the Brew Crew. Gatewood had 543 hits in 2,306 AB, good for a batting average of .235 with Milwaukee affiliates, including 319 RBI.
Gatewood was released by Milwaukee after the 2019 season, was picked up by the Angels in 2021 and spent 2 years at their AAA affiliate, the Salt Lake City Bees, where he batted .219/.272/.456/.728 in 224 games.
Gatewood then went on to play baseball in Mexico for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos in the Mexican League (LMB) and the Yaquis de Obregón in the Mexican Winter League. Gastonia signed Gatewood to a deal in April of 2024 where he batted .295/.395/607/1.002 in 118 games.
Like Escarra, something seems to have clicked for Gatewood while with the Ghost Peppers.
The Yankees are sorely lacking in good 3B depth, with Oswald Peraza showing some struggles during MLB Spring Training and D.J. LeMahieu’s future is in doubt. The lack of options for Peraza is also an issue where he’ll likely either be stuck in AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre or will be put on waivers and given a shot elsewhere. The Yankees will likely start Oswaldo Cabrera at 3B for a majority of the year unless they can pick up another name, or unless Gatewood really impresses the front office with his performance.
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