Robert Andino

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #31 prospect in 2008
  The Marlins don't seem to know what to do with Andino, who remains blocked in the middle infield at the big league level. Even a utility role seems beyond his reach as long as Alfredo Amezaga is on hand. To his credit, Andino showed a solid attitude and played all 142 games in Triple-A last year. He has made significant improvement at the plate, striding toward the pitcher and staying inside the ball more consistently. The result was career bests in triples (leading the Pacific Coast League with 13), homers (13), extra-base hits (51) and slugging percentage (.428) in 2007. He has some bat speed, though he also set a career high with 129 strikeouts and his plate discipline still can get better. He struggles as a basestealer and is an average runner at best. Though he finally surrendered his long-standing title as the Florida system's best defensive infielder to first-round pick Matt Dominguez, Andino's cannon arm remains the strongest among Marlins infield prospects. He has soft hands, quick feet and smooth actions at shortstop. He can make all the flashy plays but his PCL-high 34 errors are a reminder that he needs to tighten things up on the routine chances, especially with his throws. Andino must continue to remain patient in hopes that a big league role opens up for him.
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #20 prospect in 2007
  In some ways the train has already left the station for Andino, who saw both middle-infield slots filled last spring by rookies Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla, now Marlins cornerstones. Signed for $750,000 out of a Miami high school, Andino contines to play exemplary defense and he got a little better with the bat last year. He is blessed with soft hands, quick feet and smooth actions, though he sometimes gets a little lazy on his throws. His attitude was horrendous at the Arizona Fall League after 2005, but he showed a much greater desire to play last year. He also did a better job of taking breaking balls to the opposite field and stayed on pitches much better in general. He continues to struggle as a basestealer and is an average runner at best. Some believe he could make the move to center field, but he has yet to see any action out there. While he probably won't be pushing Hanley Ramirez or Dan Uggla to the bench, Andino may be ready to stick in the majors as a utilityman.
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #17 prospect in 2006
  Andino signed for $750,000 as a second-round pick in 2002 despite organizational division on his real worth. He started performing midway through 2004, then came up last September and started a number of games in the National League wild-card race. But just when he was positioning himself to take over for Alex Gonzalez in 2006, Andino turned in a subpar performance in the Arizona Fall League. In fact, he showed so little effort that the Marlins dispatched vice president of player personnel Dan Jennings to Arizona to deliver a stern reprimand. Andino stands out mostly on defense. He has tremendous range, a plus arm and the ability to make the highlight play. His bat speed has improved and he has done a better job of staying back on offspeed pitches after significant work with Double-A hitting coach Steve Phillips and hitting coordinator John Mallee. He was an effective basestealer in the minors. Andino still makes too many errors, sometimes losing focus on routine plays. At the plate, he appeared overmatched at times in the majors. He must improve his upperbody strength and pitch recognition. His AFL stint and the Marlins' trade for Hanley Ramirez have diminished Andino's chances of opening 2006 as the club's shortstop. But Florida is looking to fill both parts of its double-play combination, so it's still possible.
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #9 prospect in 2005
  After signing for $750,000, Andino hit just .188 in his full-season debut. He got off to another slow start in 2004, batting .141 through early May before he suddenly began producing at the plate. He hit .313 the rest of the way. Andino has tremendous range, a plus arm and a little flair at shortstop. His defense is his biggest asset and will get him to the big leagues. He does have plus bat speed, and he shored up some of the holes in his swing. He learned to stay back on offspeed pitches and trusted his hands more. He's figuring out how to put his good speed to use on the bases. Andino will have to prove his offensive resurgence was no fluke. He needs to get stronger after fading at the end of 2004. He takes plays off occasionally and sometimes flips throws to first base. While Josh Wilson has a head start in the race to eventually replace Alex Gonzalez, Andino could catch and pass Wilson by the time the change is made. He figures to begin the season back in high Class A.
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #15 prospect in 2004
  On paper, Andino had a miserable year with the bat in his first full pro season. He struck out once every 3.3 at-bats and appeared overmatched at times, but the Marlins remain high on the slick-fielding shortstop from Miami. Andino, who signed for $750,000 after a two-month holdout in 2002, showed excellent bat speed but consistently jumped at pitches. The more he struggled, the harder it was for him to stay under control. Strength isn't a problem as he has a solid frame and a thick lower half. Defensively, Andino has tremendous range, a plus arm and a flair for the dramatic. His 28 errors were due mainly to carelessness, especially on throws, but still represent a low total for a teenage shortstop in his first full year. The Marlins also were impressed that he didn't let his offensive struggles affect his defense or his attitude. The son of a former professional player in Puerto Rico, Andino has just average speed and isn't much of a basestealer. Rated behind only B.J. Upton among shortstops on the Marlins draft board a year ago, Andino again took a back seat to Upton and a class of promising young shortstops in the low Class A South Atlantic League. It might be good for Andino to get a refresher course in the SAL so he can get his bat going.
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #19 prospect in 2003
  Only B.J. Upton rated higher among shortstops on the Marlins' 2002 draft board, so they were pleased to grab Andino 50 picks after Upton went second overall. After a two-month holdout, he signed for $750,000, nearly $4 million less than Upton got from the Devil Rays. At this point, Andino's glove is far ahead of his bat, but there's reason to believe the gap will narrow once he adds strength and experience. Taking groundballs alongside the rehabbing Alex Gonzalez during instructional league, Andino wowed Florida's brass with his similarly smooth actions and soft hands. He can make the routine plays as well as the tough ones, has a plus arm and excellent defensive instincts. Some compare him to a young Pokey Reese. At the plate, Andino has good bat speed but jumps at too many pitches and gets out of kilter with his leg kick. He needs to cut down on his swing, which would help him get out of the box faster and add a few leg hits. His speed is just average. The son of a former professional player in Puerto Rico, Andino must improve his overall concentration and discipline because he tends to drift.