FREDERICK, Md. – Irvin Escobar, a recent Bethune-Cookman graduate and former Wildcats Baseball student-athlete, has recently signed a contract to play for the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League.
 
Escobar, a native of Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, played four seasons for the Wildcats, serving most of his career behind the dish at the catcher position. In 2025, the sure-handed Escobar helped B-CU to its first-ever Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Baseball Tournament title, advancing to the NCAA Tallahassee [Fla.] Regional hosted by Florida State. Along the way, he batted .280 for the year with eight doubles, 21 RBIs and 25 runs scored. Behind the plate, he threw out 12 runners attempting to steal and used a .991 fielding average on a team-high 310 putouts and 33 assists.
 
Before Major League Baseball reorganized the minor leagues after the 2020 campaign, the Frederick Keys were a Class-A Advanced affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles in the minor leagues. In 2021, The Keys did not receive an invitation to remain in affiliated baseball as part of the 2021 reorganization of Minor League Baseball (MiLB), and instead joined the newly formed MLB Draft League.
 
Other teams in the MLB Draft League include the following: Mahoning Valley Scrappers, State College Spikes, Trenton Thunder, West Virginia Black Bears and Williamsport Crosscutters.
 
The league operates a split-season format of 80 games with a hybrid amateur–professional structure. The first half of the season, the league operates as an amateur collegiate summer baseball league to serve as a showcase for top draft-eligible prospects leading up to each July's MLB Draft. After a break for the draft, play resumes for the season's remaining games with paid professional players who have exhausted their amateur eligibility.
 
The Keys host West Virginia this weekend (July 19-20), followed by a two-game homestand with State College (July 21-22).
 
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