Miami Marlins Season in Review: Rodrigo Ayarza

Throughout the 2018/2019 offseason, Marlin Maniac will devote one article each for every player who appeared in the Miami Marlins system for the 2018 season. Every. Single. Player. This is Part 66 of 286. Stay tuned.

Rodrigo Obed Ayarza is a 5’8″, 145 lb. second baseman by trade, who has also played professionally at third, short, left, and right field. Born on February 20th, 1995, Ayarza was signed to a free agent deal with the Texas Rangers on June 1st, 2012.

Ayarza was born in Bocas del Toro, Panama, which unless I miss my guess, translates as “Bull’s Mouth.” Former major leaguers Fernando Seguignol and Sherman Obando were also born there.

Rodrigo spent four seasons at the rookie level, with the DSL Rangers, and later in the Houston Astros system between the DSL Astros Blue, DSL Astros Orange, the Greeneville Astros and the GCL Astros. In 180 total contests from 2012 through 2015, he slashed .251/.342/.353 with five home runs and 90 RBI. He also stole 15 bases in 25 attempts.

For the first time, in 2016, Ayarza was promoted above the rookie level. He joined the low-A Tri-City ValleyCats in the short-season New York-Penn League, and over 46 games hit .260/293/.373 with a pair of homers and 24 RBI. He split 2017 between the single-A Quad Cities River Bandits in the Midwest League and the high-A Buies Creek Astros in the Carolina League, hitting .273/.312/.443 with eight homers and 46 RBI. On March 25th, 2018, the Astros released Ayarza.

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Two days later, the Miami Marlins signed Ayarza to a minor league deal and assigned him to the high-A Jupiter Hammerheads in the Florida State League. He played in 40 games at second and third base, and went 23-for-111 with 13 RBI, 13 walks, and only 12 strikeouts. On May 3rd, he hit a single and a double with an RBI in a 7-2 victory against the Daytona Tortugas in one of his four multi-hit games through the first part of the season. The Marlins sent Ayarza down to the low-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in the South Atlantic League.

After 14 games with the Hoppers, Ayarza had gone nine-for-39 with two homers and five RBI. He earned his way back onto the Hammerheads, but after going two-for-seven in four games, was sent back to the Grasshoppers for one game on August 5th. The Miami Marlins released him on August 7th.

Although no longer with the Miami Marlins, Ayarza could sign with any organization going forward.

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