Name: Joel Skinner
Rank: 146
Position: C
Years With White Sox: 1983-1986
Acquired in 1982 by the White Sox as a free agent compensation pick from the Pirates organization, Joel Skinner made his major league debut on June 12, 1983 in a victory over the A’s. He appeard in only 6 games for the eventual AL West champions, garnering 3 hits in 11 at bats.
Skinner again split time between the minor leagues and the major leagues in 1984, though he had more of a lasting impact at the big league level than the year before. He appeared in 43 games for the White Sox, struggling at the plate and hitting only .213.
Skinner got another opportunity with the White Sox in 1985, when backup catcher Marc Hill went down with a hip contusion. He appeared in 22 games and hit a surprising .341. This convinced incoming general manager Ken Harrelson that he was ready to take over behind the plate in 1986.
To accomodate Skinner, Harrelson had manager Tony LaRussa move Carlton Fisk to left field. The White Sox stumbled out of the gate and Skinner struggled to hit. On May 9, with Skinner hitting in the .150s and LaRussa’s job on the line, he moved Fisk back behind the plate and the White Sox proceeded to win 10 of their next 13 games. Skinner got another chance behind the plate in July when a virus knocked Fisk out of the lineup, but his days with the team were numbered.
As the trade deadline approached at the end of July, Skinner, along with Ron Kittle and Wayne Tolleson, were sent to the Yankees in exchange for Ron Hassey, Carlos Martinez, and a player to be named later, who eventually became Bill Lindsey.
Skinner’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
