Flash forward four years and Skipworth has failed to live up to his expectations, but he still has a decent shot to make the Marlins roster, because of the injury to Mathis:

“Obviously, the circumstances that came about were not the ones that you want, as a teammate and now a friend of Jeff’s,” he said, bringing up the veteran Mathis’ collarbone injury. “You never want to see anyone get hurt.

“With that being said, often times, when guys get hurt is when people are able to have an opportunity.”

Mar 23, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins catcher Kyle Skipworth (53) in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Skipworth has not done too much damage with his bat, something he was well touted for out of high school. He has hit a measly .167 this spring and has not shown any of the power he has been known for. Rather, his five walks in 31-plate appearances and strong defense has impressed the Marlins enough to give him a shot in the majors.

There is still a shot the Marlins sign another catcher and let Skipworth play regularly at Triple-A, but listening to Redmond, that does not seem to be in the cards:

“That’s the situation we’re in,” Redmond said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for him. He’s a strong physical catcher. He’s got a good arm. And from what I’ve seen, he’s got some pop in his bat, too.”

Here is a look back at the articles that were posted on Marlin Maniac last week:

Game Recaps:

The Marlins played six games this week, going 2-4 this week. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we missed the recap for Friday’s game and Andy should have his recap up later today. Here are the rest of the recaps:

Monday (3/18/13): Miami Marlins Defeat Minnesota Twins In Rain-Shortened Game

Tuesday (3/19/13): Miami Marlins Fall to St. Louis Cardinals Behind Struggling Jacob Turner, 5-4

Wednesday (3/20/13): Game Recap: Big Innings Sink LeBlanc As Washington Nationals Top Miami Marlins, 7-5

Saturday (3/23/13): Game Recap: Chris Coghlan, Miami Marlins Walk Off Against St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5

Now we will take a look back at the main articles posted on MM last week:

Ehsan Kassim:

• Here is the recap from last week: MM Weekly Recap: Miami Marlins Roster Taking Shape
• I questioned, with his soaring popularity, should the Miami Marlins look to deal their closer Steve Cishek?
• I continued my top 20 Marlin Maniac prospect list: Jose Urena was the #9 prospect, with Rob Brantly coming in at #8, and finally Adeiny Hechavarria at #7.
• Find out how the Miami Marlins have placed themselves in a no-win situation with their fans. Seems like the team is more interested in suing their fans then them attending the games.
• With no clear front-runner for the center field job, it looks like the Marlins want to use a three-man committee to man center. Also check out in this article some of the best links from around the Marlins blogosphere.
• Jeff Mathis and Logan Morrison are progressing from their injuries and both of them have set timelines for when they would like to return for action.
• I took a stab at predicting the Marlins 25-man roster for Opening Day. With some poor play and possibly some injuries, it seems like I might be slightly off.
• Speaking of struggles, Jacob Turner‘s struggles this spring could mean he starts the season in Triple-A New Orleans
• Not due to poor performance, but rather lack of experience, star prospect Christian Yelich was reassigned to minor league camp. Trust me when I say he will be back soon.
• Lastly, I took around a look around the NL East and brought you the best articles on the web for our fellow NL East teams.

Placido Estevez:

• In his Marlins Way segment, Placido wonders if it is Opening Day already?
• If Giancarlo Stanton feels lonely this season, he could always ask Miguel Cabrera for some advise. If you remember, Cabrera was in the same situation as Stanton after the 2006 season.

 Alex Agueros:

• In his Marlins Way segment, Alex talks about the infamous Chone Figgins being cut and other news on Marlins demotees.

 Geoff Parkins

• Geoff and I had a disagreement with the course of the Marlins and he posted this: The Miami Marlins: The Nuclear Option Vs. Keeping Placeholders.
• Chone Figgins and a few other players faced getting cut last week. Geoff examines what comes next.

David Polakoff:

• David made his posting debut this past week and made the rational argument that despite his struggles, Turner is just 21-years old and should not been seen as a major detriment to his future success.

Justen Rosenberg:

• In some non-Marlins related news, Justen made predictions on teams that could shock the world in 2013.

Fansided:

• March Madness 2013: Win A $100 RetailMeNot Visa Gift Card From Marlin Maniac

Mar 9, 2013; Melbourne, FL, USA; Miami Marlins second baseman Chone Figgins (1) against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Another round of cuts and disappointments took place this week, highlighted by the Marlins cutting longshot utility guy Chone Figgins. Teams will surely kick the tires on a guy who used to be able to hit Major League pitching and is willing to play six positions, but these Marlins telling you to take a seat, is not a promising sign.

Following Figgins’ cut, the competition for a seat on the Marlins bench became a little more clear for utility men Nick Green, Chris Valaika, and Matt Downs.

Figgins’ release seems to bode well for our old friend Nick Green as backup to Hechevarria. #fish

Filed under disappointing is the rough spring for Jacob Turner. The 21-year old has been competing for a rotation spot, and his outing Tuesday was to be an opportunity to earn it. He was knocked around for seven hits and four earned runs. Turner is competing for the fifth starting spot in the Marlins rotation along with Kevin Slowey and John Maine. Turner starts Sunday against the Astros.

With opening day now in single digits away from us, there’s been some coverage on the Marlins still sitting due to injury.Some note an injury to Logan Morrison still hurts the Marlin’s lineup, while a back strain for Donovan Solano also made headlines during the slow spring.

The 2013 Marlins are taking shape and it’s becoming more apparent who will be sitting and who will be playing. There are two more cuts to make on the 40-man, and three pitchers competing for the fifth spot. After those seats are settled, the Marlins, and the rest of the league take the field.

Mar 9, 2013; Melbourne, FL, USA; Miami Marlins second baseman Chone Figgins (1) against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins announced today that they have released veteran utility man Chone Figgins.  A long-time pal of Juan Pierre, Figgins is an 11-year MLB guy whose performance inexplicably fell off of a table in Seattle.  Going 8 for 26 with 6 RBI in 11 games wasn’t enough to earn a roster spot.  Cutting Figgins brought the roster to 42, with a little over two weeks of spring training left.  It’s probably reasonable to expect the last two cuts to be the toughest decisions to make. While he brought the same  stabilizing/mentoring experience to the clubhouse as Pierre, he simply didn’t have the defense or the wheels necessary to offset the age and mileage.

It’s tough to speculate who else will be trimmed off of the 40-man roster in the next two weeks.  A quick poll of the Maniac staff ( I had to actually get up from the massage table here at Marlin Maniac HQ and head down to the executive Writer’s Bar to get my answers…the lengths we go to for a story!)  shows Austin Kearns (.071 and 10 strikeouts) and Chris Valaika (.200 and 5 SO) as being the most likely headed to the unemployment office.

On the lighter side of the game, the warm weather here in Jupiter, plus the 5-mile proximity to the Gulf Stream, has prompted Steve Cishek and Nick Green to take up a little extracurricular activity.  Based on Cishek’s Twitter feed, it looks like a few of the boys have been blowing off steam with rod and reel instead of club and ball.

Here are a couple of pics from the promising closer (reportedly working on a changeup as a treat for the lefties he’ll face this season).  Gotta admire Chris Hatcher’s rod holder ingenuity:

Marcell Ozuna Powers Marlins

Feb 23, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Miami Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna (68) connects for a base hit against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. The Marlins defeated the Cardinals 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

In the first inning, Ozuna came to the plate with two runners on and two outs. Ozuna blasted an opposite-field home run off of starter Tim Hudson. The home run was the first of the spring for Ozuna, who has shown impressive power thus far in his minor league career. Ozuna blasted 24 homers for the Marlins High-A team last season.

Chone Figgins also came up with a big game for the Marlins, collecting four hits (all singles) on the afternoon. Figgins raised his average from sub-.200 to .333, which is to the dismay to many Marlins fans, as Figgins has been among the worst regular players the past few seasons. His chances of making the team go up with his strong performance.

Chris Coghlan continues to look revitalized this spring. Coghlan drove in a run and went 3-for-4 on the evening, with a double. Coghlan now has a .334/.364/.438 line so far this spring. He has put a lot of pressure on Justin Ruggiano to play well and reclaim the starting center field role.

Christian Yelich went 1-for-4 today, with his second home run of the spring. Yelich will only make it tougher for the Marlins to send him to Double-A to start the season. Here is what Tino Martinez had to say about Yelich today:

“He’s ready. I don’t know where he’s going to go. I don’t know where they’re going to send him. I mean, he’s having a great spring and he’s proved he can play at this level. And I don’t see anything changing. It’s not my decision, but it’s obvious he’s a great hitter. I haven’t messed with him. He can just hit.”

Wade LeBlanc Impressive

Wade LeBlanc continued to put a stranglehold on the competition for the Marlins number 5 rotation spot. LeBlanc went four innings for the Marlins, allowing five hits, striking out on hitter, while walking none. He also picked off B.J. Upton of first base twice.

The Marlins allowed 11 hits to the Braves on the afternoon, but the Braves hitters only translated that to two runs crossing the plate.

Up Next: After two impressive bullpen appearances, right-hander Kevin Slowey will get a chance to start against the Red Sox Monday at Roger Dean Stadium at 1:05 p.m. ET. Slowey is in the competition for the fifth starter competition as well. Left-hander Jon Lester is expected to get the start for the Red Sox.

Whether issues should be addressed based off limited pre-season innings is debatable. But the Miami Marlins do have a couple situations to keep an eye on during Grapefruit League play.

Whats *this* guy good for? Hopefully, the fifth starting spot.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Fifth Spot

One of the standard problems to solve for each team each spring is, “Whats this pitcher good for?” and the 2013 Marlins are no different. The fifth starting spot is up for grabs between fringe guys such as Wade LeBlanc, Brad Hand, and Tom Koehler.

It’s a shame that a decision may be based on whether one of the three blows up during a February or March outing, especially since the best pitcher of the three is perhaps Koehler who is alarmingly prone to home runs.

For these three, the surest prediction is that they’ll all see time in AAA-New Orleans and the majors.

Center Field

This competition is more likely for the backup center field position. Ruggiano is the clear front-runner to start April 1^st in Washington, while a slew of players need to prove they deserve a spot on the bench. Based on experience, Gorkys Hernandez may be the favorite to win the backup role over Chris Coghlan, Bryan Petersen. An interesting name in the competition is Rule-5 draft pick Alfredo Silverio, has a shot at sticking on the roster when he gets healthy enough to play defense. For now, he’s starting spring games at DH.

Another wild card in the competition is top prospect Christian Yelich. While the Marlins are in no position to rush any prospects, his very strong case to make the team is outlined here on MM.

Chone Figgins vs. Everyone

I imagine Figgins walked into camp with a rolling suitcase of six gloves, catcher’s gear, his own rosin bag and a boom box ghetto blasting the chorus to “Centerfield” on repeat. Figgins’ best asset to make a roster is his (alleged) flexibility. He’s a long shot to play in the outfield with a crowded center field competition and fan favorites in the corners. The thin Marlins infield would welcome a backup guy, but for now, Figgins is hitless in spring training with two fielding errors.

So while the Marlins spring training record shouldn’t get you change your attitude on the team, there are a few reasons to be watching. Who’s the fifth starter? Who’s the best backup center fielder? Will Figgins get a hit?