Jeff Conine, ‘Mr. Marlin,’ is a Marlins legend, and now his son, Griffin Conine, has a chance to follow in his footsteps. The Marlins called him up from Triple-A Jacksonville for their upcoming series against the Rockies, per Craig Mish. He has spent the past six seasons in the minors and will finally make his major league debut.
My favorite report of the season. Marlins are selecting Griffin Conine from AAA Jacksonville ahead of their series with the Rockies in Denver. Huge moment coming soon for both Griffin AND Mr. Marlin Jeff Conine.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) August 25, 2024
Marlins Call Up RF Griffin Conine
The Toronto Blue Jays drafted right-fielder Griffin Conine in the 52nd overall in the second round of the 2018 draft. In 2019, the Marlins acquired Conine via a three-team trade with the Baltimore Orioles and Blue Jays where they also would receive infielder Jonathan Villar. In 2023, the 27-year-old spent majority of the season with the double A Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Here he played in 87 games and slashed .253/.370/.493 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI. These numbers had him promoted to triple-A by the end of the season.
So far this season in triple-A, Conine has been pretty solid and has slashed .268/.350/.475 with 19 home runs and 68 RBI in 112 games played. He also made the All-Spring Breakout team and would eventually homer during the game. Recently the lefty has been raking and has an .859 OPS and 127 wRC+ since August 3.
It isn’t just the power that makes Griffin Conine so satisfying to watch, but his ability to go deep to all fields. Foul pole to foul pole.
These are all from the past week 😂 pic.twitter.com/PouOuwJOuz
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) June 12, 2024
The right-fielder’s call-up came sooner than expected but that’s for several reasons. First, the Marlins are having a disaster of a season and currently have a 47-83 record. Second, since they are on track to rebuild, they traded away key outfielders such as Jazz Chisholm and Bryan de La Cruz. This leaves space for guys like Conine who has proven himself as a solid player to step up and see if he can contribute to the future of the franchise. Hopefully, he can follow in his father’s footsteps and become a household name for the Marlins along with recently promoted prospects Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers.
Main Photo Credits: Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK