What years did Joel Skinner play?

Joel Skinner played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1991.

Was Joel Skinner a pitcher?

No. Joel Skinner was a position player (Catcher).

How many home runs did Joel Skinner hit?

Joel Skinner hit 17 career home runs with 329 hits.

What teams did Joel Skinner play for?

Joel Skinner played for 3 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1983–1986), the New York Yankees (1986–1988), and the Cleveland Indians (1989–1991).

What were Joel Skinner's career stats?

In 564 games, Joel Skinner had 329 hits, 17 home runs, 136 RBI, 119 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .228 batting average.

What was Joel Skinner's salary?

Joel Skinner's last recorded salary was $750,000, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $750,000, in 1993, and his lowest was $75,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1986 to 1993.

What position did Joel Skinner play?

Joel Skinner played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Joel Skinner and how much did he weigh?

Joel Skinner was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 198 pounds.

How many home runs did Joel Skinner hit each season?

Joel Skinner's home runs by season: 0 in 1983, 0 in 1984, 1 in 1985, 5 in 1986, 3 in 1987, 4 in 1988, 1 in 1989, 2 in 1990, and 1 in 1991. His most in one season was 5, in 1986.

What was Joel Skinner's career batting average?

Joel Skinner batted .228 over his career, with 329 hits in 1,441 at bats.

How many RBI did Joel Skinner have?

Joel Skinner drove in 136 runs in his career.

Is Joel Skinner in the Hall of Fame?

No. Joel Skinner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Joel Skinner

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1983-1991)

Joel Skinner was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1991 for the Chicago White Sox, the New York Yankees, and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 9 seasons. In 564 career games, he hit .228 with 329 hits, 17 home runs, and 136 RBI.

AVG (Batting Average):: Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):: Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):: Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):: On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated October 15, 2026

AVG .228

HR 17

RBI 136

H 329

OPS .580

PIV -4,494

Position: Catcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'4" / 198 lb
Born: 2/21/1961 in La Jolla, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1983-06-12
Last Game: 1991-09-22

Full name: Joel Patrick Skinner

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Career Batting Statistics

Joel Skinner — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
564	1,441	119	329	62	3	17	136	3	80	387	.228	.269	.311	.580	-4,494

Career AVG .228 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 11.4% below league average.

Career OBP .269 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 16.8% below league average.

Career SLG .311 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 20.0% below league average.

Career OPS .580 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 18.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joel Skinner Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1983	CHA	AL	6	11	2	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	.273	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	CHA	AL	43	80	4	17	2	0	0	3	1	7	19	.212	.259 (-18%)	.322 (-16%)	.384 (-38%)	.707 (-28%)	-340.2
1985	CHA	AL	22	44	9	15	4	1	1	5	0	5	13	.341	—	—	—	—	0.0
1986	CHA	AL	60	149	17	30	5	1	4	20	1	9	43	.201	.257 (-22%)	.325 (-23%)	.395 (-17%)	.720 (-20%)	-498.1
1986	NYA	AL	54	166	6	43	4	0	1	17	0	7	40	.259	.257 (+1%)	.325 (-12%)	.395 (-24%)	.720 (-18%)	-498.1
1987	NYA	AL	64	139	9	19	4	0	3	14	0	8	46	.137	.262 (-48%)	.331 (-44%)	.415 (-45%)	.746 (-44%)	-1044.3
1988	NYA	AL	88	251	23	57	15	0	4	23	0	14	72	.227	.254 (-11%)	.317 (-16%)	.377 (-11%)	.695 (-14%)	-563.2
1989	CLE	AL	79	178	10	41	10	0	1	13	1	9	42	.230	.254 (-9%)	.319 (-15%)	.375 (-19%)	.694 (-17%)	-482.4
1990	CLE	AL	49	139	16	35	4	1	2	16	0	7	44	.252	.257 (-2%)	.324 (-11%)	.385 (-12%)	.710 (-12%)	-268.6
1991	CLE	AL	99	284	23	69	14	0	1	24	0	14	67	.243	.255 (-5%)	.323 (-14%)	.384 (-21%)	.708 (-18%)	-813.2
Career · 10 seasons			564	1,441	119	329	62	3	17	136	3	80	387	.228	—	—	—	—	-4,508

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (564 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Joel Skinner — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	275	691	44	150	5	64	.217
Away	289	750	75	179	12	72	.239

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joel Skinner — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	2B	BB	SO
1991-09-22	CLE	BAL	W	2	0	0	0	0	0
1991-09-21	CLE	BAL	W	4	1	3	1	0	0
1991-09-20	CLE	BAL	L	3	0	1	0	0	1
1991-09-18	CLE	DET	W	3	0	1	0	0	0
1991-09-17	CLE	DET	W	3	0	1	0	0	1
1991-09-15	CLE	BAL	L	3	0	1	0	0	2
1991-09-14	CLE	BAL	W	5	1	1	0	0	0
1991-09-13	CLE	BAL	L	2	0	0	0	2	0
1991-09-12	CLE	BAL	W	4	0	1	0	0	2
1991-09-10	CLE	MIL	W	3	0	2	0	0	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Joel Skinner — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1	0	1	0	0	0
C	560	449	2425	170	32	26
OF	2	0	0	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joel Skinner — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1983	CHA	C	6	2	20	4	1	1
1984	CHA	C	43	23	171	11	2	1
1985	CHA	C	21	15	94	8	3	0
1986	CHA	C	60	48	227	15	3	4
1986	NYA	C	54	52	280	22	6	5
1987	NYA	C	64	46	232	18	4	2
1988	NYA	1B	1	0	1	0	0	0
1988	NYA	C	85	72	395	16	4	5
1988	NYA	OF	2	0	0	0	0	0
1989	CLE	C	79	57	280	22	3	1
1990	CLE	C	49	44	222	16	1	3
1991	CLE	C	99	90	504	38	5	4

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joel Skinner Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Catcher	560
First Base	1
Left Field	1
Right Field	1

Salary History

Joel Skinner's recorded salaries total $2,835,000 over 8 seasons, 1986 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Skinner's career ran from 1983 to 1991. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985.

Joel Skinner — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1993	CLE	AL	$750,000
1992	CLE	AL	$700,000
1991	CLE	AL	$610,000
1990	CLE	AL	$280,000
1989	CLE	AL	$200,000
1988	NYA	AL	$110,000
1987	NYA	AL	$110,000
1986	CHA	AL	$75,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$2,835,000

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Joel Skinner (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Joel Skinner: the record in brief

June 12, 1983 and September 22, 1991 bracket Joel Skinner's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Skinner played for the Chicago White Sox (1983 through 1986), the New York Yankees (1986 through 1988), and the Cleveland Indians (1989 to 1991). Skinner, born on February 21, 1961, in La Jolla, CA, USA, is listed as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Skinner's listed size is 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds. Skinner's full given name, per the bio, is Joel Patrick Skinner.

Skinner collected 329 hits in 1,441 at bats across 564 games, good for a .228 batting average, adding 17 homers and 136 RBI. Skinner's career OPS of .580 combines a .269 on-base mark with .311 slugging. Skinner's .228 average ran 11.4% below the .258 that the league posted over the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .580 to a league .712, 18.6% below average. The hits column peaks at 69, in 1991. Skinner drove in a season-high 24 runs in 1991. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .243 in 1991, did not top the league's .255.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joel Skinner

What years did Joel Skinner play?: Joel Skinner played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1991.
Was Joel Skinner a pitcher?: No. Joel Skinner was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Joel Skinner hit?: Joel Skinner hit 17 career home runs with 329 hits.
What teams did Joel Skinner play for?: Joel Skinner played for 3 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1983–1986), the New York Yankees (1986–1988), and the Cleveland Indians (1989–1991).
What were Joel Skinner's career stats?: In 564 games, Joel Skinner had 329 hits, 17 home runs, 136 RBI, 119 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .228 batting average.
How much did Joel Skinner earn in his career?: Joel Skinner's recorded salaries total $2,835,000 over 8 seasons, 1986 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Skinner's career ran from 1983 to 1991. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985.
What was Joel Skinner's salary?: Joel Skinner's last recorded salary was $750,000, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $750,000, in 1993, and his lowest was $75,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1986 to 1993.
What position did Joel Skinner play?: Joel Skinner played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joel Skinner and how much did he weigh?: Joel Skinner was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 198 pounds.
How many home runs did Joel Skinner hit each season?: Joel Skinner's home runs by season: 0 in 1983, 0 in 1984, 1 in 1985, 5 in 1986, 3 in 1987, 4 in 1988, 1 in 1989, 2 in 1990, and 1 in 1991. His most in one season was 5, in 1986.
What was Joel Skinner's career batting average?: Joel Skinner batted .228 over his career, with 329 hits in 1,441 at bats.
How many RBI did Joel Skinner have?: Joel Skinner drove in 136 runs in his career.
Is Joel Skinner in the Hall of Fame?: No. Joel Skinner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.