[2] At Mission Bay High School in San Diego, Skinner played baseball and water polo.

[3] He played two minor league seasons in the Pirates organization before he was acquired by the Chicago White Sox on February 2, 1982.

[4] Skinner made his major league debut on June 12, 1983 against the Oakland Athletics, appearing as a defensive replacement at catcher in the ninth inning.

New general manager Hawk Harrelson had taken a liking to Skinner, and decided to make him the starting catcher in place of Carlton Fisk.

On May 10, Fisk became the regular catcher, and Skinner only made 25 more starts behind the plate before being traded to the New York Yankees on July 30.

[6] After the trade to the New York, Skinner bounced between the majors and minors with the Yankees and Cleveland Indians until he retired as a player on May 18, 1994.

[8][9] With the Columbus Redstixx (South Atlantic League) in 1996, he managed them to a second half title and a regular season record of 79–63.

[12] On January 17, 2018, Skinner was named as the 45th manager of the International League's Rochester Red Wings, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.