Marlins Sign Vinny Rottino To Minor League Deal

In a small move, the Marlins have signed outfielder Vinny Rottino to a minor league deal. Rottino, 34, has never really had a home in the majors, but has played for the Marlins before.

Rottino broke into the majors in 2006 with the Milwaukee Brewers. In his three seasons with the Brew Crew, he only played 18 games. He saw 8 games of action with the Fish in 2011, hitting .167 with two walks. His last year in the majors was in 2012, playing 18 games with the Mets and 18 games with the Indians.

Rottino is a career .165 hitter at the big league level. He spent 2013 with the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball league and 2014 with the Nexen Heros of the Korea Baseball Organization.

While Rottino is sure to enjoy being back in the United States, don’t expect him to contribute to the Marlins major league squad anytime soon. The Marlins have one of the best outfields in baseball and Rottino is not capable of being the 4^th outfielder. He will likely spend the season in the minors unless the Marlins get hurt.

It is interesting to note that Rottino can also play catcher, as he did for team Italy in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the man behind the plate for the fish and Jeff Baker will be backing up, but Rottino could be an emergency catcher if injuries occur behind the plate.

For a team that spent most of the off-season dominating the headlines, the Marlins are making a quiet move with Rottino. He is adding nothing other than insurance in case of injuries, but it is still nice to see the Marlins fill out the roster for a worst case scenario.

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