Bio
Versatile infielder Maikol Escotto comes to the Explorers from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization where the Boco Chica, Dominican Republic native played part of the last five seasons, reaching Double A for the Pirates. Escotto was originally signed by the New York Yankees as an International Free Agent in 2018. He would spend one season in the Yankees system before he was part of a haul of prospects the Pirates laned via trade for right-handed pitcher Jameson Taillon in January of 2021.
This season Escotto began the season at high A Greensboro where he hit .319 with six home runs and 20 RBI in 38 games in the South Atlantic League. He would add 18 stolen bases in 22 attempts with a .370 on base percentage. Escotto would earn a promotion to Altoona on May 30 and go on to play in 40 games before his release on August 5. He would hit .135 with two home runs and 10 RBI with three stolen bases.
In 2024 Escotto hit .215 with a slash line of .215/.257/.355, driving in 31 runs with eight home runs. He would also swipe eight bases over 68 games. He spent his second season at Greensboro after playing the 2023 season in the South Atlantic League. Escotto hit .213 in 89 games with eight homers and 38 RBI. He slashed a line of .215/.272/.347 while stealing 10 bases for the Grasshoppers.
Escotto made three stops in the Pittsburgh organization in 2022. He opened the season at high A Greensboro then spent three weeks at the Bradenton complex before moving to the Florida State League club also in Bradenton. In 41 games at Greensboro, Escotto hit .164 with six home runs and 19 RBI. At the rookie-level complex league in the FCL, he played in three games going 3-for-10. He later finished off the season in the Florida State League. Escotto hit .253 with two home runs and 13 RBI with the Bradenton Marauders. He slashed a line of .253/.333/.391.
In 2021 Escotto played in 89 games at low-A Bradenton. He hit a .234/.354/.347 with seven home runs with 38 RBI. Escotto stole 22 bases to lead the club and finished third in runs scored with 61.
Escotto did not play in 2020 due to the worldwide pandemic, but he spent his only season with the New York Yankees organization in 2019. He played in 45 games in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .315 with eight home runs and 26 RBI. He would slash a line of .315/.429/.552 while leading the team in home runs and finishing second in RBI. Heading into the 2020 season, Baseball America ranked Escotto as the Yankees’ 27th-best prospect.
Defensively, Escotto played the bulk of his career in the middle of the infield. He played 223 games at short and another 109 at second base. Escotto has also played 42 games at third base and another 23 in the outfield. Escotto has a career slash line of .231/.312/.378 with 85 stolen bases. The 23-year-old was born in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.