Marlins Birthday: "Mr. Marlin" Jeff Conine turns 60

[Mike Ferguson]

When one thinks about the early years of the Florida Marlins organization, there is perhaps no name more synonymous than Jeff Conine. Nicknamed, “Mr. Marlin,” Conine was one of the team’s early stars and is the only player to be present for each of the franchise's World Series celebrations.

A native of California and a graduate of UCLA, Conine was born on June 27, 1966. He celebrates his 60th birthday today.

Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 58th round of the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft, Conine had played in just 37 games in parts of two seasons with Kansas City before being selected by Florida in the 1992 expansion draft. Before long, Conine was one of the faces of a young franchise.

His impact was instant. In Florida’s inaugural game—a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 5, 1993—Conine went 4-for-4 with two runs scored. Less than a month later, Conine hit his first career home run, which also served as the first Marlins grand slam in the history of Joe Robbie Stadium in a 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies.

After hitting .292 with 12 home runs and 79 RBIs in 1993, Conine would make back-to-back All-Star Games for Florida in 1994 and 1995 – the only two selections of his career. Conine would get just one All-Star Game at-bat but made the most of it. His solo home run off Steve Ontiveros of the Oakland Athletics in the eighth inning of the 1995 All-Star Game in Arlington gave the National League a 3-2 win and earned Conine MVP honors. Excluding Kyle Stowers’ efforts in last year's “swing off,” Conine remains the lone Marlin to homer in the All-Star Game and their only MVP.

After another solid campaign in 1996, Conine had his worst full season in the big leagues in 1997, but he still finished with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs as the Marlins won their first World Series. Despite a lackluster campaign by his lofty standards, Conine was instrumental in the Marlins’ success. In a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on April 17, Conine had the lone walk-off home run of his career -- and as a pinch hitter. In Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, Conine had the game-winning RBI in the seventh inning as Florida beat the Atlanta Braves 2-1 to take the series lead and move to within one win of its first pennant.

Following the Marlins’ first title, Conine was traded back to the Royals. After one season back in Kansas City and parts of five with the Baltimore Orioles, which included a 97-RBI season in 2001, Conine made his return to South Florida midway through the 2003 season.

With Mike Lowell nursing a hand injury, the Marlins needed another bat and Conine provided that. With the Marlins leading the Philadelphia Phillies by a game in the National League Wild Card chase on Sept. 23, Conine’s three-run home run tied the contest during what would be a five-run inning for Florida in a 5-4 win over Philadelphia. The following day, Conine homered again in a win over the Phillies and the Marlins took a three-game lead in the Wild Card race with four games left in the season.

In the postseason, Conine batted .304 in 17 games, which included a solo shot against the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series as Florida won 4-0 to keep its season alive. The most memorable moment from Conine during the Marlins’ run to a second World Series title, however, was his throw from left field to gun down J.T. Snow at the plate for the final out in the Marlins’ National League Division Series-clinching win over the San Francisco Giants. Conine scored Florida’s final run of the season on a Juan Encarnación in the sixth inning of Game 6 of the World Series—a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees to end the series.

Conine spent two more seasons with the Marlins, helping the franchise achieve three straight winning seasons for the first time ever. In 2004, at the age of 38, Conine hit .280 with 14 homers and 83 RBIs.

After two stints each with the Royals and Marlins, Conine returned to Baltimore for a second stint with the Orioles following the 2006 season. He would also play for the Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets over his final two seasons of 2006 and 2007.

For his career, Conine spent parts of 17 seasons in the big leagues and parts of eight with the Marlins. A two-time All-Star, Conine had a better average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and more hits, home runs and RBIs for the Marlins than any other team.

Since then, Conine has returned to the organization as a broadcaster and special assistant. In March 2025, he was inducted as the first member of the Miami Marlins Hall of Fame. His son, Griffin Conine, is currently an outfielder for the Marlins.  

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