Robert Andino: From Florida Marlin to Miami Marlin

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In the second round of the 2002 draft, the Florida Marlins selected Robert Andino, a local infielder from Miami Southridge Senior High School. He made his debut for the Marlins in 2005 and played with the team until 2008, totaling a paltry .201/.250/.299 line in 79 games. He went on to spend parts of 2009 to 2012 with the Baltimore Orioles before playing in 2013 with the Seattle Mariners. He did not appear in a major league game in 2014 or 2015, spending 2014 in Triple-A as part of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and 2015 in the Independent League as a member of the Somerset Patriots.

Despite his lack of success at the big league level, the career .232 hitter is getting a lot of playing time early in Grapefruit League play. Andino is currently third on the team in plate appearances with 18, and he has consistently been part of the second lineup either at second base or shortstop. The Marlins have a penchant for giving former Marlins perhaps a bit more of a chance than other players and certainly more of a chance than they deserve. While it is far too early still to make any real predictions about Andino’s future, it sure looks like the Marlins are trying to see if he could work as a bench piece.

With defensive wizard Miguel Rojas and lefty masher Chris Johnson also vying for a bench spot, it looks like Andino will likely end up on the outside looking in. Perhaps the team is just seeing what they have in him as a minor league piece and he will start the year at Triple-A New Orleans and provide middle infield depth. Either way, he won’t make too much of an impact his second time around with the team, regardless of the fact that his jersey would say “Miami” instead of “Florida.”