On the Florida Marlins first ever Opening Day, on April 5, 1993, native Cuban-born switch-hitter Orestes Destrade handled first base duties for the fledgling team. Six-foot-four and 210 lbs. during his playing career, Destrade came to the Florida Marlins as a free agent on December 15, 1992, four weeks after the completion of the MLB Expansion Draft.
Destrade was born in Santiago de Cuba on May 8, 1962. In 1980, he was a 23rd round pick out of Christopher Columbus HS in Miami, FL, by the California Angels, 588th overall — but he did not sign. A year later, he signed a free agent deal with the New York Yankees, and played in 63 games for their Rookie-level affiliate in the Appalachian League, the imaginatively named Paintsville Yankees.