Robert Andino

Robert Andino
Baltimore Orioles – No. 11
Shortstop
Born: (1984-04-25) April 25, 1984 Miami, Florida
Bats: Right Throws: Right
debut
September 4, 2005, for the Florida Marlins
Career statistics (through 2011)
Batting average	.245
Home runs	11
Runs batted in	64
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Florida Marlins (2005-2008) Baltimore Orioles (2009–present)

Robert Lazaro Andino (born April 25, 1984 in Miami, Florida) is a Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder for the Baltimore Orioles. Prior to joining the Orioles in 2009, he spent parts of four seasons with the Florida Marlins from 2005 through 2008. He is of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent.

Baseball career

Florida Marlins (2002-2008)

Andino was selected in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2002 MLB Draft by the hometown Florida Marlins out of Miami Southridge High School.

He was promoted to the Marlins for the first time on September 2, 2005. He made his major-league debut two days later on September 4 when he replaced Álex González at shortstop in the eighth inning of a 7–1 loss to the New York Mets at Dolphins Stadium. His only at bat was a groundout to shortstop José Reyes to end the game. His first hit in the majors was a ground-rule double off Vicente Padilla in the fourth inning of a 10–2 defeat at home to the Philadelphia Phillies on September 17.

The Marlins initially saw him as their "shortstop of the future." Other players, including Hanley Ramírez, knocked him out of that role.

On April 1, 2008, Andino hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning off New York Mets reliever Matt Wise for his first career home run.

Baltimore Orioles (2009–present)

In an exchange of players out of options, Andino was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Hayden Penn on April 1, 2009. He made his first appearance for the Orioles on April 9, 2009, pinch-hitting for César Izturis. Now, Andino is playing most days due to the injury to Brian Roberts. Andino, in his stint as an Oriole, is known for his fielding abilities, and his abilities to make good defensive plays. With the Orioles, he has hit 6 home runs and 28 RBI.

He made a barehanded catch of a Justin Morneau pop fly in foul territory during the sixth inning of a 6–1 win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on August 24, 2011. He had slightly overran the ball while approaching the tarpaulin roll parked against the fence on the third-base side.

During the last two weeks of the 2011 campaign, Andino made three clutch hits that helped prevent the Boston Red Sox from clinching the American League Wild Card. The first was a two-out bases-clearing double down the right-field line off Jonathan Papelbon in the eighth inning of a 7–5 win at Fenway Park on September 20. Six nights later on September 26, he became the first Oriole to achieve an inside-the-park home run at Camden Yards with a three-run shot off Josh Beckett in the sixth inning of a 6–3 triumph. With runners on second and third and two outs, he sent the ball to deep straightaway center field where it initially landed in Jacoby Ellsbury's glove. It was jarred loose when Ellsbury collided with the fence. Andino was able to score standing up when the relay throw skipped past Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The feat was witnessed by his father Robert Sr. who was attending a professional game involving his son for the first time. Andino struck against Papelbon again with a two-out game-winning single to left field in the ninth inning of the regular-season-ending 4–3 victory at home on September 28.

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)