Versatile infielder Maikol Escotto joins the Explorers after five seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, where he reached Double-A Altoona in 2024. A native of Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, Escotto originally signed with the New York Yankees as an international free agent in 2018 and spent one season in their system before being traded to Pittsburgh in the January 2021 deal for pitcher Jameson Taillon. This year, he opened at High-A Greensboro, hitting .319 with six home runs, 20 RBI, and 18 stolen bases in 38 games before earning a promotion to Altoona. Across 40 games in Double-A, he batted .135 with two homers and 10 RBI. Over his minor league career, Escotto also spent time with Bradenton in both the Florida State League and the Florida Complex League, as well as Low-A Bradenton in 2021, when he led the club with 22 stolen bases.

In 2019, his lone season with the Yankees, Escotto hit .315/.429/.552 in the Dominican Summer League, leading the team in home runs (8) and ranking second in RBI (26) before the 2020 pandemic canceled the season. Primarily a middle infielder, he’s played 223 games at shortstop, 109 at second base, plus time at third base and in the outfield. The 23-year-old owns a career slash line of .231/.312/.378 with 85 steals.