Griffin Conine

Griffin Riley Conine

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 195 lb.
• School Duke University
• High School Pine Crest School

• Born July 11, 1997 in Plantation, FL USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

The son of Jeff Conine, outfielder Griffin Conine was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 31st round of the 2015 amateur draft but did not sign, choosing to go to the Duke University instead. As a sophomore there, he hit 13 home runs. In 2018, he was drafted again, this time by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round. In his first professional season, he played mainly for the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League, where he hit .238 with 7 homers and 30 RBIs in 55 games. He also played 2 games with the GCL Blue Jays.

On November 19, 2018, he was handed a 50-game suspension to be served at the start of the 2019 season for testing positive for Ritalinic Acid, a banned stimulant. He played 90 games for the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League that year and hit .283/.371/.576 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs. Those were excellent numbers, but he did not make the cut when the Blue Jays named those on their 60-player pool before the start of the 2020 season, and he had to spend the year idle as the minor leagues were shut down by the Coronavirus pandemic. On August 31st, the Blue Jays obtained SS Jonathan Villar in a deadline trade with the Miami Marlins in return for a player to be named later. Quickly, word emerged that he would be that player, joining the organization for which his father had been an icon, although the move was only made official on September 18th.

Conine played his first season in the Marlins' system in 2021, which he split between the Class A Beloit Snappers and AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos, batting .218 in 108 games, but with 36 homers and 84 RBIs. In 2022, he spent a whole season in the Southern League with Pensacola. In 115 games, he hit .215/.337/.435, with 24 homers and 74 RBIs; he also struck out 183 times but did draw 74 walks. In 2023, he hit .253 in 87 games for Pensacola and got his first taste of AAA, also playing 23 games for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. His line that season in 110 games was .247/.355/.462, with 20 homers and 72 RBIs. With 56 walks and 155 strikeouts, he was still a prototypical Three True Outcomes player - which would have made him a hot property maybe 15 years earlier, but not so much in the contemporary game.

Further Reading

• Christina De Nicola: "Mr. Marlin watches son, Griffin, shine in Spring Breakout", mlb.com, March 15, 2024. [1]

Related Sites

• Duke bio