LOS ANGELES — As a spot starter and pinch hitter for the Florida Marlins, Joe Borchard shows up at the ballpark every night not knowing if or when he may be called upon to play.

It's not exactly the role Borchard, a former standout at Camarillo High and Stanford, was predicted to fill when he was chosen by the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the 2000 draft and given a then-record $5.3 million signing bonus.

Back then, Borchard was being compared to Mickey Mantle because of his power from both sides of the plate.

But seven years and two organizations later, the 28-year-old Borchard still carries the burden of unfulfilled promise on his massive shoulders. His career batting average is .206, and he's had far more strikeouts than hits in his limited major league at-bats.

Late last season, Borchard's big league fortunes appeared headed in the right direction.

Getting a chance to start due to an injury to Jeremy Hermida, Borchard responded to the opportunity by going 14 for 48 (.292), including three home runs and seven RBIs.

"It was a great way to finish the year," Borchard said during the Marlins' recent visit to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers. "I was happy to take advantage of the opportunity to start."

Borchard was presented with the same opportunity at the start of this season, as Hermida was again injured.

The momentum from the previous season didn't carry over.

Through the first 42 games, Borchard hit just .203 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. For the season (in 71 games), he is batting .198 with four homers and 19 RBIs.

"It looked like it would fit perfectly for me to go in and do a good job," Borchard said. "Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way. Right now (the results) don't look good, but somewhere down the road, maybe the experience will prove to be a good thing."

The one saving grace for Borchard is the support he has received from the Marlins organization and, in particular, manager Fredi Gonzalez.

From the first game this season, Gonzalez has told anyone who would listen how much he thinks of Borchard.

"I talk to Joe all the time," Gonzalez said. "I think he did a wonderful job for us — him and Cody (Ross) both — when Jeremy Hermida was out.

"He's still part of this team and he's still going to be part of this team. We're going to get him at-bats. I don't say anything to him, other than, Go out and get your at-bats, and go from there.' "

Borchard credits his manager's support with helping him to keep his chin up during the rough spots.

"I can't express enough gratitude for the things Fredi has said and the opportunities he's given me," Borchard said. "That was also the case last year with Joe (Girardi, who managed Florida in 2006). The whole organization has been great to me since I got here."

While the results so far have not been exactly what he was hoping for, there have been enough bright spots along the way to keep Borchard's competitive fires burning. In 2006 he spent the entire year in the big leagues, the first time in his career he could make that claim.

In 2006, he also demonstrated a rare ability to be successful as a pinch hitter, batting close to .360 in that role.

No one, not even Borchard, can explain his prowess off the bench.

"Sometimes you can't explain things, you just have to let them be," Borchard said.

His success coming off the bench, along with his late-season finish in 2006, have also been a boost to Borchard's self-confidence.

Early in his career, Borchard admits he wasn't totally equipped to handle the emotional highs and lows heaped on him.

In 2003 he and the White Sox played an interleague series at Dodger Stadium, giving Borchard his first chance to play in front of family and friends at home. He had a miserable series, and was sent down to the minors right after the final game.

"It was just disastrous for me," Borchard said. "It was my first time coming back to Los Angeles and it could not have gone worse. I didn't handle it well.

"Things are much different today. You learn to handle things with much more grace the longer you play the game."

Borchard believes he's had enough success to prove to himself he can play at the major league level.

"I know I have certain tools and abilities that will help teams win baseball games," Borchard said. "From that standpoint, even if I'm not having a good day, a good week or even a good month, I am capable of doing something good for the team at any given moment."

As long as Gonzalez is the manager in Florida, it appears Borchard will continue to get chances to fulfill the potential the White Sox saw in him in 2000.

"He still is a very valuable piece to this organization," Gonzalez said. "He can do it all, and he's ready to do it all."