Kyle Skipworth, C

[Swifty]

A month ago the Marlins had no catcher. Now you totally love their catching depth? Come on now. This is fun and all to think Skip might not totally suck, but he's got a long way to go to be considered an asset (and that only happens if he stays behind the plate, IMO, that bat won't be passable anywhere else).

You let him catch, you keep him at catcher. If you need to get him a day at 1B to save his knees but keep him in the lineup, fine, but other than that he has to be viewed as a catcher. Not a 1B, not a CF, not a LF, a C.

[Jay]

I think everyone seems to forget Skip completely skipped Jupiter after posting a .738 OPS in Greensboro. Everyone will agree that Jupiter sucks for hitting prospects and that Skip's performance in Greensboro is not something that warrants jumping a level. He was destined to fail last year in AA and should have been in Jupiter for the whole year.

So anyone complaining about him being in AA for 3 years needs to realize this. He probably should have been in Jupiter these past 2 years.

[lou]

A month ago the Marlins had no catcher. Now you totally love their catching depth? Come on now. This is fun and all to think Skip might not totally suck, but he's got a long way to go to be considered an asset (and that only happens if he stays behind the plate, IMO, that bat won't be passable anywhere else).

You let him catch, you keep him at catcher. If you need to get him a day at 1B to save his knees but keep him in the lineup, fine, but other than that he has to be viewed as a catcher. Not a 1B, not a CF, not a LF, a C.

It's pretty nice the Marlins have three kind of legit catcher prospects each in AAA, AA, and A+ right now (and maybe they move Barnes back to catcher in Greensboro who is hitting the shit out of the ball). Yes, they all need work and more time in the minors, but what's not to be encouraged about with all of them seemingly starting to show promise at their respective level? This is so far a nice developmental year for the Marlins minor league catchers. Each of the three is easily considered a top 10 position player prospect in the system, which is slightly deeper than some think (thanks to these trades but still).

Likewise, no shit they need to keep him at catcher primarily. But seeing if Skip, or any of them, can cover other spots could only be a benefit. If all three work out, they could probably find room on the team for all three as a primary catcher, backup catcher, and "bat" off the bench if one of them can handle spot 1B/LF duty. Work them all as catchers, and give them time elsewhere to get the ABs. Could only create more value.
--------------------

I think everyone seems to forget Skip completely skipped Jupiter after posting a .738 OPS in Greensboro. Everyone will agree that Jupiter sucks for hitting prospects and that Skip's performance in Greensboro is not something that warrants jumping a level. He was destined to fail last year in AA and should have been in Jupiter for the whole year.

So anyone complaining about him being in AA for 3 years needs to realize this. He probably should have been in Jupiter these past 2 years.

Right. Leaving him in Jax until minimum next summer, is not hurting him by any means.

[Fish Tank Frenzy]

At the end of the day if Skip can't hack it offensively as a catcher he won't be able to hack it at any other position offensively.

[HUGG]

0/2 2bb tonight

he's 1 for his last 14

[emkayseven]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4jGSvxCRp4[/ame]

[HUGG]

.275/.365/.626 in the last 148pa now

[Fritz]

MK7 gon be pissed.

[emkayseven]

I hate you.

I'm actually pretty excited.

[Fritz]

I hate you.

I'm actually pretty excited.

[Namaste]

The world will not remember Kyle Skipworth

[emkayseven]

This is a tale of two catchers.

One, Buster Posey, has lived up to the potential that came with being the fifth overall pick in the 2008 draft. Kyle Skipworth, who was taken by the Marlins with the sixth pick that year, so far has not.

“That’s not even apples to apples right now,” Skipworth said of any comparison between him and Posey, the Giants’ All-Star catcher and last season’s National League Most Valuable Player. “He’s just an unbelievable player.”

Posey is regarded as the majors’ top hitting catcher.

Five years after being drafted, Skipworth hasn’t even reached the majors.

But that could soon change.

Skipworth, by virtue of a couple of early spring events, will be receiving a chance over the coming four weeks to see if he belongs. The Marlins are suddenly thin behind the plate because their two most experienced catchers aren’t around.

One, Craig Tatum, told the team he was retiring the first day of camp.

The second, Jeff Mathis, broke his collarbone on a foul tip in the first game this spring. Mathis could be out from six to eight weeks.

While rookie Rob Brantly is set to handle the primary catching role, the Marlins need a backup until Mathis is ready to return. And Skipworth, being the only other catcher on the team’s 40-man roster, is the logical candidate.

“You never like to see guys get hurt,” Skipworth said. “But with that being said, injuries are often what opens doors or give people the ability to get their foot in the door for the first time.”

Marlins manager Mike Redmond said Skipworth, for the time being at least, would take Mathis’ spot and alternate starts with Brantly in Grapefruit League games.

“That’s the situation we’re in,” Redmond said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for him. He’s a strong physical catcher. He’s got a good arm. And from what I’ve seen, he’s got some pop in his bat, too.”

Skipworth has that. He hit 21 home runs last season for Double A Jacksonville. But he also hit just .217 and struck out 143 times in 420 at bats, which has been par for the course. In his four minor-league seasons, Skipworth has struck out, on average, once in every three at bats.

Therein lies his problem.

Although Skipworth’s reputation has improved defensively, offensively it has declined significantly since the Marlins made him their first-round pick in 2008.

He knows that.

“I always knew in the back of my mind I could catch,” Skipworth said. “Now, did I think my offense would lag behind my development as a catcher? No.”

Skipworth said part of the issue has been the time he has put into improving as a catcher.

“That’s taken away from some of the offensive stuff,” Skipworth said of his work trying to improve defensively. “But that’s the most important side of the game, being behind the plate, running the staff, being good back there. That’s my priority now.”

The Marlins would be content with that.

After all, Mathis is no great shakes with a bat. But Mathis has hundreds of major-league games under his belt and is regarded as a strong defensive catcher.

Unless the Marlins acquire a veteran backup, which is a real possibility, they’ll be watching Skipworth carefully to decide if he’s capable of handling the backup job in Mathis’ absence.

Skipworth is cautiously optimistic.

“You don’t want to look too far ahead,” Skipworth said. “If you start thinking big picture, then you lose sight of the things you need to do day by day.”

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/2...#storylink=cpy

[Ramp]

Certainly like what he's saying

[emkayseven]

Kyle Skipworth and Jake Jefferies first met in the minor leagues.

Both men were drafted in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft — Skipworth in the first-round by the Miami Marlins and Jefferies in the third-round by the Tampa Bay Rays — and both found themselves playing for the Jacksonville Suns, the Marlins Double-A team in 2012.

It was there the two developed their friendship. It was probably inevitable considering both men played the same position: catcher.

Now, both are battling for the backup spot for the Marlins in spring training after Jeff Mathis broke his collarbone on a foul tip in the spring opener. The injury will keep the 29-year-old Mathis out of the lineup for at least six weeks and forces the Marlins to explore other options to back up starter Rob Brantly.

"Obviously, you never want anyone to get hurt," said Jefferies before the Marlins game against the Atlanta Braves Sunday at Champion Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports. "Especially a guy like Jeff, who's a class act."

"That's nothing you want to see, but he's a great guy and we've had great dialogue," Skipworth said of Mathis' injury. "When guys get hurt, that's what opens doors."

Both Skipworth and Jefferies have tried to make the most of those opportunities.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Skipworth was batting .235 with two doubles in nine games for the Marlins this spring. He's played in 19 total Major League games during his career with a career .148 average. Meanwhile, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Jefferies is still looking for his first hit this spring after starting 0-5 in five appearances. He's been limited to only eight MLB games in his brief professional career.

"I went from last year, where I caught three big league games in camp, to now catching quite a bit," Jefferies said. "It's been great. The opportunity to see all of these hitters at the highest level and also getting the chance to catch the pitching staff that we have."

While the competition easily could have forced a rift between the two men, it's had just the opposite effect, according to Jefferies.

"I think it would be harder if we weren't [such good friends]," Jefferies said. "He's such a good guy and a good friend. We played together. I think when you have guys like that that you click with, it makes the process more fun. It makes this game fun."

Skipworth added, "He's a great teammate and a very good friend of mine now. We've talked about it personally and kind of the different scenarios, but that's about it.

"Once you start going down that path of, 'what if this happens and what if that happens' then you kind of lose track of what you are trying to do on a daily basis."

Manager Mike Redmond doesn't want the players focused on competition.

"I just want them to go out there and play," Redmond said. "I'm trying not to give them too much information and just let them go out there and be themselves. Show us what you can do."

Redmond said that there aren't any immediate plans to look at a trade situation to shore up the spot. He is just enjoying watching both Skipworth and Jefferies play after hearing so much about both young players.

"I don't think there's a lot of pressure," Jefferies said. " . . . The only thing I can control is myself. I think what I am trying to focus on right now is catching good games."

Skipworth agrees.

"Just stay in the moment," Skipworth said. "It's a cliché, but you can only control what you can at that moment."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/m...,3181310.story

uhhh

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Skipworth was batting .235 with two doubles in nine games for the Marlins this spring. He's played in 19 total Major League games during his career with a career .148 average. Meanwhile, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Jefferies is still looking for his first hit this spring after starting 0-5 in five appearances. He's been limited to only eight MLB games in his brief professional career.

did I miss a major league debut?

[Miamarlin21]

Spring training games?