Suzanna Ahearne of the Vancouver Sun profiled C’s pitching coach Jimmy Escalante in yesterday’s ‘Westcoast’ section of the Vancouver Sun.  You can read the full article, here.  

Young pitchers working with Escalante don’t just get the opportunity for intensive coaching in their mother tongue, a great leg-up in itself, but also have in Escalante a cultural interpreter, guide and big brother.

"I do everything with these kids," says 31-year-old Escalante following a coaching session before an evening game.

The players on the field at Nat Bailey are loud and boisterous. English and Spanish are spoken in clusters. Escalante slips in and out of his two languages with ease.

"They definitely need a shoulder to lean on. They’re away from home. Many have never done this before. … They can come up to me in any situation. I’m basically their voice."

Escalante’s primary goal is to help the young people develop their play but in order to move up the ranks, they have to improve their English skills with mandatory lessons. He knows that the young Latinos’ year with him is vital. "If someone isn’t there teaching them in Spanish, they don’t get the information….I tell these guys a lot of what they have to do [to get to the majors] happens here."

This is Escalante’s second year here, after being scheduled both times to coach the Arizona A’s, where most latino prospects start their careers.