Matt Skole Finally Earns Roster Spot

WASHINGTON—As 7 a.m. phone calls go, Matt Skole was more than all right with the one he received while he was with Hermosillo in the Mexican Pacific League.

Skole had waited three offseasons to get word that he was on the 40-man roster, and at age 27, it finally came.

“I felt like I had a pretty good year, especially since I was able to stay healthy-—I was most excited about that,” Skole said. “But it was still kind of a shock to get that call. A little bit of weight is off my shoulders. I had to work hard to get there (on the 40-man roster), and I’ll have to work hard to stay there.”

Skole, a fifth-round pick in 2011, didn’t have to wait out the Rule 5 draft after he led the Triple-A International League with 140 games played for Syracuse. In 499 at-bats, the corner infielder hit .244/.337/.437.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Skole had 135 more at-bats in Mexico, hitting .237/.371/.341. He was tied for the league lead with 30 walks when he returned home as planned. Though Skole also struck out 33 times, it was beneficial for him to make adjustments against experienced pitchers.

“Playing in Mexico gave Matt a different perspective and challenged him to make adjustments in a new environment,” farm director Mark Scialabba said. “He wanted to continue to build off his strong second half in Syracuse and gain more reps at third base, where he played exclusively in Hermosillo.”

In spring training, Skole will be in major league camp for the fifth time, but he expects a longer look.

“Obviously the team is a World Series contender and the talent is off the charts, but there’s a reason they protected me,” Skole said. “In the past, I think they wanted to keep me in the wings. This year, at the least, I have a chance to compete for a bench role as a lefthanded bat, and it can only help that I can play third and first.”

CAPITAL GAINS

• Righthander Austin Voth, catcher Raudy Read, first baseman Jose Marmolejos and outfielder Rafael Bautista also were added to the 40-man roster.

• Senior adviser of player development Spin Williams won the Mike Coolbaugh Award, presented annually by Minor League Baseball at the Winter Meetings to “an individual who has shown outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field.”