Conines now an MLB father-son duo: 'Almost overwhelming'

DENVER -- As Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine prepared for his first round of batting practice as a Major Leaguer, a familiar voice called out to him from the stands on Monday afternoon at Coors Field:

“Hey, No. 56!”

His father, Jeff Conine, was on hand with around 10 family members and friends for the momentous occasion. Griffin receiving his callup made the Conines the second father-son duo to play for the Marlins, joining David and Ryan Weathers.

• The greatest father-son duos in MLB history

“A lot of emotions,” Griffin said before the Marlins’ 3-2 loss in the series opener against the Rockies. “Obviously, felt like it kind of came suddenly. I don't think I was necessarily expecting it for any reason. I was just trying to control my at-bats in Jacksonville, and I've been rolling the last couple weeks. So really [I] was just focused on that, and the opportunity came. Just trying to deal with as many phone calls and texts as I could and deal with all that and get here.”

The first call Griffin made was to his parents, Jeff and Cindy, who had been visiting family in Long Island, N.Y. The message was simple: Look up flights to Denver, where they had recently visited to move in their other son, Tucker, for grad school in nearby Boulder. Tucker wore a Marlins jersey for his first day of classes on Monday.

The elder Conine, endearingly nicknamed “Mr. Marlin,” spent eight of his 17 MLB seasons with the Marlins. He was part of the inaugural club (1993) and both World Series teams ('97, 2003). His two All-Star selections came with the Marlins ('94 and '95), and he won the All-Star MVP Award in '95.

Some of Griffin’s earliest baseball memories naturally involve his dad’s teams. Former Marlins Jorge Cantu and Gaby Sanchez were among the senders of congratulatory messages.

“This has always been the goal,” said Jeff, who coached Griffin’s Little League and travel ball teams. “This is where the end point is always. That's the end of the rainbow, and he's here. It's almost overwhelming.”

A product of Duke University and Pine Crest High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Griffin came to the Marlins from the Blue Jays on Sept. 18, 2020, as the player to be named in the Jonathan Villar trade. Griffin was a second-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.

During his first season in the Marlins’ organization in 2021, Conine knocked 36 homers between High-A Beloit and Double-A Pensacola, the second-most in Minor League Baseball.

“I think about that a lot,” Griffin said. “Everything happens for a reason. I believe that. I never will know what my future would have held with the Blue Jays, but I think coming home is a great feeling after you get past the fact that the team that drafted you kind of dealt you away.”

In 112 games at Triple-A Jacksonville this season, the 27-year-old posted a slash line of .268/.350/.475 and hit 19 homers. In the Marlins' Spring Breakout, Conine went deep in front of his dad, who serves as a special adviser to Marlins principal owner Bruce Sherman. Griffin credited offseason tweaks to his swing mechanics for these results.

Griffin, who is not on MLB Pipeline’s Marlins Top 30 prospects list, flew from Nashville, Tenn., to meet the team in Denver, where it opened a seven-game trip on Monday. Griffin pinch-hit for Nick Fortes in the ninth inning, striking out on a check swing on the fifth pitch of the at-bat. According to Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, Griffin will likely start during the four-game series.

"I think the nerves were definitely there," Griffin said. "I don't think anyone's had an at-bat that's their first where they're not. So, just a surreal moment, I think, and just eyes on tomorrow now, prepare for that."

At the time of his callup, Griffin had 585 games and 2,423 plate appearances on his Minor League résumé.

“I think the main thing with Griff is he earned it,” Schumaker said. “This wasn't given, and I think that's definitely the message that I gave him, that he deserved this promotion.

“He's done really good down in Triple-A -- cut down on his strikeouts, the bat-to-ball skill was a lot better. We know he can play defense. He's got a strong arm. He's committed. He's all in. So I'm just really happy for him, because it took him a while to get here, and I think it's even more special when that happens, because he's so excited when he got in my office today.

“It just puts things in perspective sometimes when you're at this part of the season and you haven't won a ton of games and not where you wanted to be. And then you see him come in and super excited and smiling. You realize that this guy just accomplished his dream, and it was a pretty cool moment.”