Griffin Conine, latest Jays' legacy prospect, hones skills in Vancouver

Griffin Conine, son of former big leaguer Jeff Conine, is honing his skills with the Toronto Blue Jays' class-A Vancouver Canadians. Photo Credit: Vancouver Canadians/Twitter

By Cole Shelton

Canadian Baseball Network

The Toronto Blue Jays understand what a legacy is.

Whether it be Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Dwight Smith Jr, Cavan Biggio and Kacy Clemens, the Blue Jays know their bloodlines.

All of these players,  who grew up running around major league clubhouses, are sons of former big leaguers. This year in the second round of the draft, the Blue Jays added another in Griffin Conine, the son of Jeff Conine.

For most of the players mentioned, talent and the love of baseball came naturally given how often they would spend time at the ballpark and in major leagues clubhouses. Griffin is no different, but his father, Jeff, never pressured him to play the game.

“Not much at all actually,” said Griffin in a recent phone interview when asked if his father Jeff pushed him to play. “It was something that I gravitated towards, obviously, being around it my whole life. He never really put any pressure on me, he was a pretty laid back parent-type and was always there for advice if I needed it and giving me pointers and tips here and there, but never put any pressure on me.”

The younger Conine played baseball for fun before getting serious when scouts were out watching him in high school where many projected him to be drafted out of high school. In the 31st round of the 2015 MLB draft, the Miami Marlins made that a reality when they selected Griffin, but he already knew before the draft had started he was heading to Duke.

“I just wasn’t ready,” added Griffin. “My parents thought it was the right call to go to college and I agreed, I definitely wasn’t mature enough and skill-wise I definitely wasn’t ready for pro ball. I just wanted to get an education so it was a combination of a lot of things. I was never really considering signing out of high school, it was a known thing and I would get picked kind of as a courtesy pick and I would go to school.”

Going to Duke proved to be a wise decision for the outfielder as he improved his draft stock. Griffin proved he could be a middle of the order bat, which in turn made him one of the best college bats available entering the draft, but even with his collegiate success, he didn’t really think of where he would be drafted.

“I didn’t really have much of an idea,” Griffin said. “I had a good sophomore year and the Cape is what they say is the most important league for college players to play in and especially after your sophomore year it will be the last time the scouts will get to see you with wood bats. (The Cape Cod), is the best, most talented league in the country and after I played really well in that league I met with a lot of teams in the fall. After that, going into my junior year I knew if I had a solid year I could end up in the top-five rounds which was ultimately my goal.”

Being selected in the top-five rounds was a given for the Duke alumni, but what team and what pick was the question and then with the 52nd selection it all became clear.

“It was awesome, it was surreal,” said Griffin of what it was like when he found out he was drafted by the Blue Jays. “Our whole team was actually watching it after we just played our regional tournament against UGA and we got the win to advance that day. The draft had already started when we were in the middle of our game so they were already on pick 30 or 35 when we finished up so we went over to a sports bar and got to see it live so it was pretty cool.”

The next step was signing which happened relatively quickly and Griffin began his pro career in the Gulf Coast League where he played just two games before getting called up to play in Vancouver for the Canadians. The Canadians are known for attracting a big audience which Griffin was pleasantly surprised by.

“It’s awesome. I definitely wouldn’t have expected this kind of fan base for a starting point in the minors, in short-season A,” added Griffin. “It is pretty rare to have this big of a following and the fans are awesome, they really get into it and love our team. It’s definitely awesome to play for them and they have a lot of energy.”

With the fans having his back, Griffin is off to a hot start in his first season of facing pro pitching. Having to face pro pitching is often a huge adjustment for players coming out of college and high school, but that hasn't been the case for Griffin.

“In the ACC we have pretty good arms, pretty good pitching, so it isn’t a huge step up yet. The biggest thing is switching from metal, you get so used to swinging metal bats and I haven’t swung a wooden bat since the summer before, so it has been more than a year almost,” said Griffin. “It just takes a little experimenting and I’m still trying to find a bat model that I am happy with and comfortable with. Kind of just trying to figure a lot of things out but that is probably the biggest adjustment, just finding a wood bat that you can really get comfortable with.”

In Vancouver, Griffin is playing right field and hitting in the middle of the order. With his first pro season winding down, Griffin is adjusting fairly well to pro ball but it isn’t without help from his dad who spent 17 years in the majors.

“It has been weird not being in the same country, and it makes it kind of difficult with the time change and everything but he has definitely prepared me for it really well,” added Griffin. “I have gotten a lot of advice and all the things you can do and all the time you have and the long bus rides. Just kind of the mental side of things for us to be playing every day from going to a college season to a minor league season where you get one off-day every month so he has helped a lot with how to deal with it and move forward with it. It has been huge.”

So far, most of the current bloodlines in the Blue Jays' organization have produced in the minors and Smith Jr. has even reached the majors. Conine is looking to become the next and follow in his father's footsteps.