Joel Patrick Skinner (born February 21, 1961) is an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
, and former
Major League catcher
Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...
and manager. Skinner mostly has managed at the minor-league level, save for one half of one season at the helm of the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
. He is the son of
Bob Skinner, a
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
outfielder in the 1950s and 1960s, and himself a former MLB coach and skipper.
In , Skinner became the manager of the
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...
, the
Triple-A affiliate of the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
. He was replaced by
Toby Gardenhire
Ronald Clyde Gardenhire (born October 24, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played as a shortstop for the New York Mets from 1981 through 1985. After another year playing in the minor leagues, he ser ...
for the 2020 season.
High school career
At
Mission Bay High School in San Diego, Joel Skinner, along with Matt Britt, played baseball and
water polo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
. He was drafted immediately following his senior year and was the first player taken in the free-agent compensation draft.
Major league playing career
Originally drafted by the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
, Skinner was traded to the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
in 1983. After brief call-ups to the majors over the next three years, Skinner was slated to start 1986 with the White Sox.
New general manager
Hawk Harrelson
Kenneth Smith Harrelson (born September 4, 1941), nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, is an American former professional baseball All-Star first baseman and outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 197 ...
had taken a liking to Skinner, and decided to make him the starting catcher in place of
Carlton Fisk
Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26, 1947), nicknamed "Pudge" and "The Commander", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1969 to 1993 for the Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971–1980) a ...
. This made some sense on paper; Fisk was 38 years old, and conventional wisdom then as now held that catchers at that age don't have many years left. Harrelson wanted to have Fisk's successor in place when Fisk retired. To ease the transition, Fisk was moved to left field. The move backfired when Skinner batted only .171 in April. On May 10, Fisk became the regular catcher, and Skinner only made 25 more starts behind the plate before being traded to the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
on July 30.
Skinner's career never really recovered after that. He bounced between the majors and minors with the Yankees and
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
until his retirement in 1994.
Minor league managing career
Skinner spent six seasons managing in the Indians
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
system from 1995–2000. Overall, he compiled a record of 448–333 (.574) and took his teams to the playoffs in five of six seasons. In 1995 Skinner managed the
Watertown Indians Watertown may refer to:
Places in China
In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways.
Places in the United States
*Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town
**Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
to a record of 46- 27 and a
New York–Penn League title, and received
Manager of the Year Manager of the Year may refer to:
* Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award
* League Managers Association Manager of the Year
* Premier League Manager of the Season
The Premier League Manager of the Season is an annual association footba ...
honors. With the
Columbus Redstixx
The Columbus RedStixx were a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia. They were a Class A team in the South Atlantic League, and a farm team of the Cleveland Indians.
The RedStixx played home games at Golden Park, except during 1996. The ...
(
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 ...
) in 1996, he managed them to a second half title and a regular season record of 79–63. In 1997, Skinner managed the Class A
Kinston Indians
The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949.
The team began play in 1978 as the Ki ...
(
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...
) as they won titles in both the first and second halves with an 87–53 record overall, earning him Carolina League Manager of the Year honors. From 1998 through 1999 Skinner managed the
Akron Aeros and was named ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
Baseball Weekly's'' Minor League Manager of the Year in 1998, after guiding the Aeros to an 81–60 record and an
Eastern League regular season title. Skinner then managed the
Triple-A Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...
to the best record in the
International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
in 2000, including an IL North Division title with a record of 86–59 (.593). His leadership of the Bisons in earned him Minor League Manager of the Year honors from ''
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
'' and ''
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' in addition to being given
International League Manager of the Year honors. That same season Skinner was a coach for
Team USA in the 2000 All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta.
In 2011 Skinner was hired as the manager of the
Charlotte Knights, the White Sox Triple-A affiliate, for the 2012 season.
In 2016, Skinner was the manager of the
Winston-Salem Dash of the Carolina League.
On January 17, 2018, Skinner was named as the 45th manager of the International League's
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...
, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. His contract was not renewed for the 2020 season and he was replaced by
Toby Gardenhire
Ronald Clyde Gardenhire (born October 24, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played as a shortstop for the New York Mets from 1981 through 1985. After another year playing in the minor leagues, he ser ...
.
Major League managing/coaching career
Skinner was named to the coaching staff of the Cleveland Indians on November 10, 2000, succeeding
Jim Riggleman
James David Riggleman (born November 9, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) manager and bench coach who coached with several teams between 1989 and 2019. He is currently the manager for the Billings Mustangs of the independent ...
as third base coach. He was named interim manager of the Tribe on July 11, 2002 after
Charlie Manuel
Charles Fuqua Manuel Jr. (born January 4, 1944), is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. During his playing career, he appeared over parts of six Major League Baseball seasons for the Minnesota Twins and Los Angel ...
was let go in a contract dispute. At the time, Skinner was the youngest manager in the major leagues, at age 41. He skippered the team to a 35–41 record to finish the season, including a 15–13 record in September. Skinner's name was mentioned among candidates to the permanent manager's job, but
Eric Wedge
Eric Michael Wedge (born January 27, 1968) is an American former baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher and manager.
As a player, Wedge attended Northrop High School in Fort Wayne and played on the school's state champion baseball team in ...
was chosen instead. Skinner remained on the Indians' coaching staff until
Manny Acta
Manuel Elias Acta (born January 11, 1969) is a Dominican former professional baseball manager (baseball), manager who is currently the Third Base coach for the Seattle Mariners, and formerly a broadcast analyst for ESPN and ESPN Deportes. He has ...
was hired in 2009. On October 20, 2010, Skinner was hired as the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
bench coach for the 2011 season replacing
Tye Waller. On November 14, 2011, Skinner was hired as the manager of the
Charlotte Knights.
Managerial records
Career statistics
See also
*
List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
References
External links
MLB.com Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Joel
1961 births
Living people
Baseball players from California
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) managers
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Canton-Akron Indians players
Charlotte Knights players
Chicago White Sox players
Cleveland Indians coaches
Cleveland Indians managers
Cleveland Indians players
Columbus Clippers players
Denver Bears players
Denver Zephyrs players
Glens Falls White Sox players
Greenwood Pirates players
Major League Baseball bench coaches
Major League Baseball catchers
Major League Baseball third base coaches
New York Yankees players
People from La Jolla, San Diego
Rochester Red Wings managers
Shelby Pirates players