Puma's scouting report on Kyle Skipworth (based on personal kowledge, reading other reports, and watching on video)

 

A poor man's Joe Mauer.

 

Plus power, plus contact, definitely an offensive minded catcher--defense is a work in progress.

 

Pretty good arm from the videos I've seen, but will get better.

 

Big frame, not done filling out, will put on some muscle.

 

HUGE upside, even more upside than Posey.

 

Concerns are that he may not remain at the catcher position and could be moved to a corner infield or outfield spot. If he can progress defensively he will be fine because the bat will be there. All in all, a pretty good pick for the fish.

 

Best case scenario: A potential All Star catcher who will hit for average and power. Think .280-.300 AVG with 25-30 homers.

 

With that potential, how can he be a "poor man's" anyone?

 

 

Man I hope he can move up through the system quickly. :thumbup

 

Not as much hype as Mauer is what I was aiming for. Not as much "sexiness", you could say.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Kyle Skipworth paced.

 

He sat on the couch; he got up. He took a cell phone call; he read a text message.

 

People standing around, gave him a fist bump, a pat on the back, an encouraging look.

 

He ate some sweet and sour chicken wings; he took a pull from his grape-flavored Gatorade.

 

He ambled down the back hall and even took a turn in the bathroom. But mostly, he waited -- as they all did.Thursday was 2008 First-Year Player Draft day, and the 18-year-old from nearby Patriot High School had long been touted as a top catching prospect, a possible first-rounder and maybe even a top-five Draft pick.

 

 

 

It was a day that Kyle, along with dad Spencer and his mother Kathy, had long anticipated and so had a large collection of family, friends, teammates and neighbors.

 

"I can believe it, but then I can't," Kathy Skipworth said.

 

The Skipworth household filled with people. There was basketball to be played on the outside court. There were dips to be made and food to be set out.

 

They all filed in and out and filled their plates until the top of the hour at 11 a.m. on the West Coast when ESPN2 went live with its coverage of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft.

 

One notable absence was Kyle's older brother, Spencer Ryan, who left just days ago to rejoin his U.S. Army unit in Oklahoma City. Soon, Spencer Ryan will be deployed to Iraq for his second tour of duty there.

 

"He just missed it; there was a small window," Kathy Skipworth said. "But you take it small doses when you can get it."

 

There was a shifting of seats as those outside came inside and everyone cast their eyes and tilted an ear to the screen.

 

It wasn't time.

 

Karl Ravech and Steve Phillips and Chris Singleton and Peter Gammons talked about the draft. They talked about possible draftees. They talked about former first-rounders. But not about Kyle.

 

Commissioner Bud Selig took the podium at the Disney Sports Complex, welcomed those in attendance and officially put the Rays on the clock.

 

More waiting.

 

"Do teams normally take the whole time?" Kyle asked. "Do they usually wait until their time is up?"

 

He got his answer soon enough as ESPN took a commercial break, which produced a groan. Back on the air, and with the Rays' time expired, Selig confirmed their selection of high school shortstop Tim Beckham.

 

Louie Villegas, Kyle's former travel ball coach, took hold of the Tampa Bay hat he'd brought and said: "I guess we don't need this."

 

The wait grew as uncertainty and tension began to mount.

 

This was a young player that began to have doubts over the last few days. The mock drafts had him moving all around the board. People called the house and asked questions. The family began to worry how far he might fall. They canceled TV interviews.

 

"It's been crazy around here for the last few days," said older sister Heather, who played college softball at Miami of Ohio on full scholarship.

 

Kyle also had other concerns. A senior with commencement on the horizon next Wednesday, Kyle had three finals Thursday -- calculus, psychology and English -- starting at 7:15 a.m.

 

"I aced English," Kyle said. "I aced psychology and I totally blew the calculus exam."

 

The Pirates followed by taking Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez and the Royals opted for high school first baseman Eric Hosmer. Left-hander Brian Matusz went to the Orioles.

 

"The Giants are next and they need catching," Spencer Skipworth said. "They're going to take [Florida State catcher Gerald] Posey."

 

He was dead solid perfect as San Francisco took Posey and ESPN showed some video of Posey.

 

"He can't throw," Spencer Skipworth said.

 

"That's what I was thinking," responded Kyle.

 

Uneasiness settled over everyone in the house and then silence as Gammons began to detail the downfalls of catchers taken high in the draft.

 

No one said anything, they just listened. This was their guy, they were his fans and the experts on the television were saying it's smarter to take a middle infielder and convert him to a catcher.

 

Then the Marlins' time ran out and Selig reappeared with the magic words. He had barely uttered "Kyle" and the living room at the Skipworth house absolutely went wild. High fives, hugs. Dad even had a tear in his eye.

 

The moment had come.

 

"It's unbelievable; it's a dream," Kyle said. "But it's just the first part of the dream. The rest of it will be in a few years."

 

Skipworth went to a team that had shown strong interest. Last week, he worked out with the Nationals in Washington D.C. and a number of clubs had taken a look at him at the Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., but the Marlins wanted him.

 

"They came around a lot," Spencer Skipworth said.

 

Kyle, who hadn't registered more than a forced smile beforehand, grinned heartily as every phone in the house rang incessantly.

 

Raul N. Martinez, who watched the boy grow from an infant to a Major League prospect, walked up and pointed to Kyle and motioned to his parents.

 

"It's because of them," Martinez said. "This is a great family and he has great parents."

 

Villegas was equally proud.

 

"He was always one of the top two percent when I coached," Villegas said. "He always did the right thing and always did it the right way. It's nice to see him succeed."

 

His next likely stop is Jupiter, Fla., and a stint with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Marlins.

 

Kyle said he's ready and dad laid to rest anyone's concern about signability.

 

"He's going; he'll be there," Spencer said. "He'll be at the first rookie camp."

 

Mom was excited, but also a little more subdued as she realized her youngest was moving on.

 

"He's ready to start the next part of his life," Kathy Skipworth said. "But I told him, always give 100 percent and you will never have any regrets." And so the journey begins.

http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/news/articl...sp&c_id=fla

This instantly makes us the best team in the MLB.

Impossible to know what a high school player will turn out to be but he has a lot of upside . Overall I am happy with the pick

 

 

It will be interesting to track the careers of Posey and Skipworth...

 

Who will end up the better pro???

 

:mis2

Skipworth has much more upside than Posey...I was reading a lot about him in fact I had been wanting to pose a great article on him but had been focused on other matters. Many of the defensive concerns have gone away. The main concern is with his footwork as a catcher there was some questionioning of him fielding balls in the dirt due to a lack of quickness in turning his mitt over but has shown to erase that concern. Regards to power potential he has as much pop in his bat as anyone in the draft, has good bat speed so he should be able to transfer his hitting ability to the wooden bat...He probably has the strongest arm amongst top catching prospects

This instantly makes us the best team in the MLB.

Skipworth is a very strong prospect but in baseball there are so many variables. He may be the next Johnny Bench or he may never play an inning above A ball. Hopefully is the first, this kid is very very talented for sure

That's nice, but it means nothing if we don't stockpile pitching

Great article, and sounds like a good all-American kid from a good family. I hope he makes it. :thumbup

That's nice, but it means nothing if we don't stockpile pitching

 

Trust me, its a typical Beinfest day.....5 of 6 so far are pitchers. :confused Somebody really needs to tell Beinfest that there are 8 other positions on the field. :banghead

That's nice, but it means nothing if we don't stockpile pitching

 

Trust me, its a typical Beinfest day.....5 of 6 so far are pitchers. :confused Somebody really needs to tell Beinfest that there are 8 other positions on the field. :banghead

Later year it was the opposite. They drafted 4 position players before taking a pitcher.

Skipworth ragging on Posey with the "he can't throw" comments?

 

Interesting.......... :mis2

Skipworth ragging on Posey with the "he can't throw" comments?

 

Interesting.......... :mis2

 

I saw that. He might get some nasty calls tonight.

That's nice, but it means nothing if we don't stockpile pitching

 

Trust me, its a typical Beinfest day.....5 of 6 so far are pitchers. :confused Somebody really needs to tell Beinfest that there are 8 other positions on the field. :banghead

Later year it was the opposite. They drafted 4 position players before taking a pitcher.

And the two years before that were pitching, pitching, pitching

That's nice, but it means nothing if we don't stockpile pitching

 

Trust me, its a typical Beinfest day.....5 of 6 so far are pitchers. :confused Somebody really needs to tell Beinfest that there are 8 other positions on the field. :banghead

Later year it was the opposite. They drafted 4 position players before taking a pitcher.

And the two years before that were pitching, pitching, pitching

 

yeah...and if you notice, a lot of other teams are doing this, as well.

Baseball America's report on Kyle and all the other first rounders

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft...008/266273.html

 

6. Florida Marlins

Kyle Skipworth, c, Patriot HS, Rubidoux, Calif.

B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 195. Age: 18.

 

Scouting Report

 

A veteran of two USA Baseball teams (junior and youth national teams), Skipworth is the best high school catcher in the nation, and may be the best prep prospect at that position since Joe Mauer was the first pick in the 2001 draft. Skipworth established himself as a top prospect last summer by blasting a mammoth home run in the Aflac Classic in August. His hitting and power both grade out in the 65-70 range on the 20-80 scouting scale. He set a California state record by getting 18 consecutive hits in an April stretch, and at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, he has enough strength to hit well with wood. Blessed with quick reflexes and superior hand-eye coordination, Skipworth's bat speed enables him to drive the ball hard to all fields, and his both his stance and swing are ideal. After struggling defensively in the summer and fall, he has improved immensely, particularly on receiving. His blocking and shifting skills also have improved and he projects as a solid-average receiver. His only below-average tool is his speed. However, Skipworth moves well for a catcher and showed his athleticism with a 31-inch vertical leap at one showcase.

He was dead solid perfect as San Francisco took Posey and ESPN showed some video of Posey.

 

"He can't throw," Spencer Skipworth said.

 

"That's what I was thinking," responded Kyle.

 

:lol

 

 

Go get 'em kid. :thumbup

The team drafted its biggest hole. I have no complaint.

I'm really not too high on drafting HS players. But we attempted to fill a hole and I will give them credit for that. Not a bad draft at all.

I pointed this out in a different thread. Mike Lieberthal who spent a good chunk of his career with the Phillies, converted to catcher in high school, was drafted out of high school, and reached the bigs 4 years later. Statistically, am I comparing Skippy's potential to Lieberthal's? No. My point is this: Although Lieberthal was never an elite catcher, he was a solid performer on his team that was converted to catcher, drafted at a young age, and made it to the show within 4 years, which may very well be a parallel to Skippy's career Hopefully if this kid drafted yesterday realizes his potential, then we may have a starting catcher for many years who may be up sooner than some people think. If Skippy moves quickly through the system, we may see him as a late call-up in '11 when the new stadium opens, and hopefully stays on as the starting catcher. I, for one, am very optimistic about yesterday's draft and am looking forward to seeing a 2011 team of:

1. Maybin - CF

2. Hermida - RF

3. Ramirez - SS

4. Willingham - LF (? - If his back will let him play OF )

5. Uggla - 1B

6. Skipworth - C

7. Dominguez - 3B

8. Coghlan - 2B

9. Volstad - P

What did i say? Am I good or what? This guy is a Phenom, watch and see!

A very good pick, catching is probably are weakest position in the system. Are best guys below the major league level are Torre Langley, Brad Davis, and John Baker, and they are average to below average catchers. I believe there were 3 catchers taken within the 1st fifteen picks, it will be interesting to see how there careers play out.

5. Uggla - 1B

8. Coghlan - 2B

Why not keep Uggla at 2B and have Sanchez at 1B? Is Coghlan supposed to be better than Sanchez?

This instantly makes us the best team in the MLB.

Skipworth is a very strong prospect but in baseball there are so many variables. He may be the next Johnny Bench or he may never play an inning above A ball. Hopefully is the first, this kid is very very talented for sure

 

 

You are mistaken. This absolutely makes us the best team in baseball for at least this year (it's 2008). World Series here we come!

I pointed this out in a different thread. Mike Lieberthal who spent a good chunk of his career with the Phillies, converted to catcher in high school, was drafted out of high school, and reached the bigs 4 years later. Statistically, am I comparing Skippy's potential to Lieberthal's? No. My point is this: Although Lieberthal was never an elite catcher, he was a solid performer on his team that was converted to catcher, drafted at a young age, and made it to the show within 4 years, which may very well be a parallel to Skippy's career Hopefully if this kid drafted yesterday realizes his potential, then we may have a starting catcher for many years who may be up sooner than some people think. If Skippy moves quickly through the system, we may see him as a late call-up in '11 when the new stadium opens, and hopefully stays on as the starting catcher. I, for one, am very optimistic about yesterday's draft and am looking forward to seeing a 2011 team of:

1. Maybin - CF

2. Hermida - RF

3. Ramirez - SS

4. Willingham - LF (? - If his back will let him play OF )

5. Uggla - 1B

6. Skipworth - C

7. Dominguez - 3B

8. Coghlan - 2B

9. Volstad - P

 

 

WTH, I'll play.

 

1. Maybin CF

2. Coghlan 2B

3. Ramirez SS

4. Hermida RF

5. Stanton 1B

6. Dominguez 3B

7. Scott Cousins/Raynor platoon LF

8. Skipworth C

 

1. Volstad

2. Tucker

3. Vanden Hurk

4. Andrew Miller

5. Kyle Winters

 

Of course, none of this will actually happen, but whatever.

Mike stanton should be in the bigs in a couple of years if he keeps hitting the way he is. He and dominguez could turn out to be two really good draft picks from last yer

5. Uggla - 1B

8. Coghlan - 2B

Why not keep Uggla at 2B and have Sanchez at 1B? Is Coghlan supposed to be better than Sanchez?

 

From my understanding, Coghlan is supposed to be good defensively, less power than Uggla, but will hit for a good average. I don't see Jacobs being here, and I am not sold on Sanchez (yet). I really don't wanna see Uggla traded unless we were getting one helluva deal of MLB-ready players in return.