Florida / Miami Marlins All-Time Top 20 Players

14. Jeff Conine (13.7)

Jeff Conine, known affectionately down south as Mr. Marlin, is a 6-foot-1, 205 lb. left fielder from Tacoma, WA. Born on June 27th, 1966, he was initially a 58th round choice of the Kansas City Royals in the 1987 MLB Amateur Entry Draft.

In the post-1992 expansion draft, the Marlins chose the unprotected Conine and placed him out in left. He led the N.L. by appearing in every game, and hit .292/.351/.404 with a dozen moon shots and 79 RBI. He finished third in the season-ending N.L. Rookie of the Year Award voting.

Conine made his first all-star team for the Marlins in 1994, appearing in all 115 games and hitting .319/.373/.525 with 18 home runs and an NL-eighth 82 RBI. He repeated his all-star team selection in 1995, and played in 133 games while hitting .302/.379/.520 with 25 home runs and 105 RBI. The slugging percentages of Conine first three full seasons remained his career high.

In 1996, Conine played 157 games for the Marlins, and hit .293/.360/.484 with a career-high 26 homers and 95 RBI.

Florida’s charmed 1997 campaign was not great for Conine’s individual stat line. Despite their gaining their first World Series Championship, Conine hit just .242/.337/.405 with 17 home runs and 61 RBI in 151 games. He went nine-for-42 through the postseason, with a double and three RBI.

After claiming the title, the Marlins shipped Conine off to the Royals for pitcher Blaine Mull, who never appeared above the double-A level and didn’t again appear in professional ball after the 1998 season. Conine played a season for the Royals followed by four-and-a-half with the Baltimore Orioles. At the 2003 trade deadline, Conine rejoined the Marlins from Baltimore for Don Levinski and Denny Bautista.

Conine was 20-for-84 in 25 games down the stretch for the Marlins, with five home runs and 15 RBI. He was notably better in the playoffs his second time around, especially in the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs. He went 11-for-24 with four walks, appearing in all seven games. Conine and Luis Castillo are the only Marlins to earn both World Series titles with the team.

Conine played two more seasons for the Marlins, appearing in 271 games and hitting .290/.353/.421 with 17 more home runs and 116 RBI. Starting in 2006, he played half of a season each with the Orioles, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cincinnati Reds, and the New York Mets.