Matt Skole

Matthew Thomas Skole (born July 30, 1989) is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox in 2018 and 2019.

Matt Skole
Skole with the Harrisburg Senators
First baseman
Born: (1989-07-30) July 30, 1989
Woodstock, Georgia, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 28, 2018, for the Chicago White Sox
Last appearance
September 25, 2019, for the Chicago White Sox
MLB statistics
Batting average.217
Home runs1
Runs batted in7
Teams

Baseball career

Amateur

Skole attended Georgia Tech, and in 2009 and 2010 he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[1][2] He was selected by the Washington Nationals in the fifth round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft.

Washington Nationals

In 2012, Skole was the South Atlantic League MVP and Nationals Minor League Player of the Year after hitting .291/.426/.559 with 27 home runs and 104 runs batted in.[3][4]

Prior to the 2013 season, Skole was ranked as the Nationals fourth-best prospect by Baseball America.[5] However, Skole collided with a runner on a fielding play at first base in the second game of his 2013 campaign with the Class-AA Harrisburg Senators, falling to the ground and tearing his ulnar collateral ligament and flexor tendon in his left elbow.[6] He underwent Tommy John surgery on April 17, 2013, taking him out of action for the season.[7] Skole returned to action and played in the Nationals' instructional league in September and then against high minor league talent for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League.[8]

Skole struggled somewhat in 2014 after missing a significant amount of the previous season, batting .241/.352/.399 with Harrisburg. He slipped down the prospect rankings, with Baseball America listing him as the Nationals' 24th-best prospect after the season—20 places lower than he was before it started.[9] He was not added to the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft that winter, but no team selected him and he remained with the Nationals organization.[10]

Despite Skole's poor 2014 campaign, he was invited to spring training with the major league ballclub in 2015.[11] After hitting well in spring training, he got off to a slow start with Harrisburg but then went on an offensive tear in June and July,[6] earning a promotion to the Class-AAA Syracuse Chiefs.[12] Skole was once again left unprotected before the Rule 5 draft after the season, but again, he was not drafted and remained part of the organization.[13]

The Nationals again invited Skole to spring training before their 2016 season.[14] He spent the entire season with Syracuse for the first time in his minor league career. The Nationals added Skole to their 40-man roster after the 2016 season,[15] in which he hit 24 home runs as a Chief and won a minor league Gold Glove Award at first base.[16]

While on the minor league disabled list, Skole was designated from assignment and removed from the Nationals' 40-man roster on July 29, 2017, to clear space for newly acquired utilityman Howie Kendrick.[17] He cleared waivers and was released by the Nationals,[18] but days later, he signed a new minor league contract with the organization and was assigned to the Auburn Doubledays.[19]

Chicago White Sox

He elected free agency on November 6, 2017, and announced November 21 that he had signed with the Chicago White Sox.[20] Skole was called up to the majors on May 28, 2018,[21] and he made his debut that day. On the first pitch of his first at-bat, Skole singled off Cleveland Indians starter Adam Plutko. Skole hit his first big league home run in his next at-bat, also against Plutko.[22][23] Skole was outrighted off the roster on September 4, 2018. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.[24] On November 19, 2018, Skole re-signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox.[25] He was assigned to AAA Charlotte Knights to start the 2019 season. On August 2, 2019, the White Sox selected Skole's contract.[26] On October 28, Skole was outrighted off of the White Sox roster and elected free agency.[27] On January 21, 2020, Skole re-signed with the White Sox on a minor league deal. Skole was released by the White Sox organization on June 26, 2020.

Playing style

In his minor league seasons, Skole has exclusively played at first and third base in the field. Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo described him in 2012 as someone who "probably profiles as a left-handed power bat at first base".[28] He has also been noted as a patient hitter with a "strong propensity to take walks".[29]

Personal life

His brother, Jake, was also a professional baseball player.[30]

References
  1. "#32 Matt Skole - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. "#20 Matt Skole - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  3. Kilgore, Adam (August 30, 2012). "Matt Skole named South Atlantic League MVP". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  4. Wagner, James (September 7, 2012). "Nationals minor leaguers of the year, Matt Skole and Nathan Karns, honored". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  5. Byron Kerr (January 2, 2013). "Baseball America's No. 4 Nats prospect: Matt Skole". Masnsports.com. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  6. Sadlock, Joshua (July 12, 2015). "Washington Nationals prospect Matt Skole back on track". Baseball Essential. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  7. Reddington, Patrick (April 17, 2013). "Washington Nationals' Prospect Matt Skole Undergoes Tommy John Surgery". Federal Baseball. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  8. Kilgore, Adam (November 6, 2013). "Matt Skole '100 percent' back in Arizona Fall League after missed season". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  9. "Matt Skole, 3b, Nationals". Baseball America. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  10. Reddington, Patrick (November 11, 2014). "Nationals' prospect Matt Skole left unprotected for Rule 5 Draft; Tyler Moore trade talk". Federal Baseball. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  11. Janes, Chelsea (February 12, 2015). "Heath Bell, Mike Carp and Matt Skole among Nationals 20 non-roster spring training invitees". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  12. Kramer, Lindsay (July 25, 2015). "Washington Nationals release 2 Syracuse Chiefs, promote trio to affiliate". Syracuse.com. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  13. Janes, Chelsea (December 10, 2015). "Nationals select former first-round pick Zack Cox in quiet Rule 5 Draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  14. Roa, Pablo (February 20, 2016). "Washington Nationals Player Profile: Matt Skole". District on Deck. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  15. Lingebach, Chris (November 18, 2016). "Nationals Add Five Players to 40-man Roster, Protecting Them from Rule 5 Draft". CBS DC. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  16. Kerr, Byron (September 26, 2016). "Matt Skole earns minor league Gold Glove". MASN Sports. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  17. Janes, Chelsea (July 29, 2017). "Nats place Stephen Drew on the 10-day DL with an abdominal strain". twitter.com. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  18. "Matt Skole: Granted release". CBS Sports. August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  19. Houghtaling, Jeremy (August 9, 2017). "Auburn Doubledays take early lead, fend off Connecticut Tigers' rally in win". auburnpub.com. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  20. Eddy, Matt (November 29, 2017). "MINOR LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS Nov. 21-26". Baseball America. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  21. "White Sox place Davidson on DL, call up Skole". MLB.com. May 28, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  22. "Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians Box Score, May 28, 2018". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  23. Sullivan, Paul (May 28, 2018). "White Sox rookie Matt Skole: 'Couldn't have dreamed' of a better major-league debut". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  24. Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2018). "Minor League Free Agents 2018". Baseball America. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  25. Eddy, Matt (November 22, 2018). "Minor League Transactions: Nov 6 - Nov 21". Baseball America. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  26. Daryl Van Schouwen (August 2, 2019). "White Sox place catcher Welington Castillo on family leave list, recall Seby Zavala from Class AAA". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  27. Daryl Van Schouwen (October 28, 2019). "White Sox outright Cordell, Banuelos, Goins, Skole". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  28. Reddington, Patrick (November 11, 2012). "Washington Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo On MLB Network Radio On Adam LaRoche, Michael Bourn, B.J. Upton And Zack Greinke". Federal Baseball. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  29. "Nationals' Matt Skole: Added to 40-man roster Friday". CBS Sports. November 18, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  30. "The Rangers select Jake Skole and Kellin Deglan in the first round of the 2010 Draft".
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