Kyle Trent Skipworth (born March 1, 1990) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

in 2013.

Career

Skipworth attended Patriot High School. He won the Gatorade High School Baseball Player of the Year Award in 2008.

Florida/Miami Marlins

Skipworth was drafted in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2008 amateur draft by the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

. and began his professional career that year. He hit .208 in 43 games with the

Gulf Coast League Marlins The Florida Complex League Marlins are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Marlins. The team plays i ...

. In 2009, Skipworth hit .208 in 70 games with the

Greensboro Grasshoppers The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...

of the Single–A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

. He split 2010 between the Grasshoppers (107 games) and

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

of the Double–A Southern League (two games), hitting .245 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI. Playing for the Suns in 2012, Skipworth batted .217 with 21 home runs and 63 RBI. In

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2013, Skipworth competed with

Miguel Olivo Miguel Eduardo Olivo Peña (born July 15, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher for several teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2002 to 2014. He also played in the Mexican League from 2014 to 201 ...

for a spot on the 25-man roster as a backup catcher to

Rob Brantly Robert Jacob Brantly (born July 14, 1989) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, ...

, the starter, following an injury to

Jeff Mathis Jeffrey Stephen Mathis (born March 31, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Range ...

. Olivo won the role, and Skipworth was optioned to the

New Orleans Zephyrs New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

of the Triple–A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

before the start of the season. On April 5, the Marlins promoted Skipworth to the major leagues when they placed

Casey Kotchman Casey John Kotchman (born February 22, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mari ...

on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

. In 4 games for Miami, he went 0–for–3 with a walk. Skipworth was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Marlins on December 18, following the signing of

Casey McGehee Casey Michael McGehee (born October 12, 1982) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, San Fran ...

. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A New Orleans on December 20. Skipworth played the 2014 season with New Orleans, hitting .216/.292/.407 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI over 70 appearances. He became a free agent at the end of the season.

Cincinnati Reds

On November 18, 2014, Skipworth signed a minor league contract with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

that included an invitation to spring training. On April 13, 2015, the Reds selected Skipworth's contract, adding him to their active roster. He never made appearance for the Reds, and was optioned to the Triple–A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

on April 17. In 78 games split between Louisville and the Double–A

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home ga ...

, Skipworth slashed .199/.285/.403 with 11 home runs and 29 RBI. Skipworth underwent ankle surgery in December 2015 and began the 2016 campaign on the disabled list as a result. On June 9, 2016, the Reds activated Skipworth from the 60–day disabled list, but subsequently removed him from the 40–man roster and sent him outright to Pensacola. He elected free agency on October 3.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skipworth, Kyle Living people 1990 births Baseball players from Riverside, California Major League Baseball catchers Miami Marlins players Gulf Coast Marlins players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Jacksonville Suns players New Orleans Zephyrs players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Surprise Saguaros players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players