JUPITER, Fla. – When the Marlins floated the idea of corner outfielder Griffin Conine getting work at first base, he knew exactly the person to turn to.
His father and Mr. Marlin, Jeff Conine, was drafted as a first baseman by the Royals and played that position more than any other during a 17-year big league career.
Since Miami’s 40-man roster lacks first-base depth, the athletic Griffin and newcomer Christopher Morel have an additional way to remain in the lineup. Although neither has played first base in professional baseball, Graham Pauley and Liam Hicks had limited experience there prior to starting at first for the Marlins in 2025. Connor Norby is also joining the mix by getting some spring first-base reps after his third-base work.
Jeff's message to Griffin was simple: Be all-in. By adding defensive versatility, he would increase his value. The outfield is heavy on left-handed bats with Griffin, All-Star Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee and prospect Owen Caissie. Jeff credits his longevity to playing both first base and outfield, which he picked up early on in his career after a veteran got hurt and led to an opening on the MLB club.
“I think everyone thinks that first base is just a position that someone's aging and just throw them over there, and a good first baseman makes a huge difference on a team,” Jeff said. “We talked a lot about footwork, especially. Footwork is going to be the main thing for him, because he's not used to doing that type of thing and then knowing where to be. How to help your infielders and give them confidence, because if they're afraid to throw over to you, it going to affect their throws. So just giving them confidence, showing them that you know how to pick the ball and do good footwork on the back end."
Rather than wait until the full squad reported for Spring Training on Monday, Griffin showed up a week early with the pitchers and catchers. At this point, he has fielded hundreds of grounders and worked on picks as well as throws to second base.
But it will take actual game experience to truly learn the position. There is less time to react and read the ball off the bat. When to stretch. How to read throws from the other infielders. Outside of the pitcher and catcher, a first baseman is in nearly every play.
“A lot of it's just comfort, which is just going to take a lot of reps,” Griffin said. “That's what spring's for. I'm used to being 200 feet away, and now I'm 90, so I think that's definitely part of it. Mechanically, a little different, ball's getting on you a lot quicker, which is obvious. I think they are confident in the athlete that I am, that I can do it, and that's why I'm over there right now, and I'm excited to keep working on it."
New infield coach Blake Butler is tasked with teaching all of this to Griffin, who last played the infield (second and third base) in middle school, and Morel.
“Just like any position, there's just a bunch of nuance, whether it's holding runners on or knowing when there's a runner on second and we get an out at first," Butler said. "Just being aware of where that runner on third is, if they're trying to extend if it was like a slow developing play, and knowing where to be on cuts or relays. There's just a lot of nuance to any new position. So I think that's probably the biggest thing on my mind. I'm sure that both those guys are going to be up for it and ready for the challenge.”
When Grapefruit League play begins, however, Griffin will start in the outfield, according to manager Clayton McCullough. The thought is to give Griffin enough reps at first leading up to games and during the early going before putting him out there. Based on how he has looked so far, he might play first base sooner than expected. The balance of his work will lean more toward first to accelerate the learning curve.
“For never really having done this, not having the infield background like Chris, you talk to Griff about anything, and you know that if he puts his mind to it, he's going to go give it his best," McCullough said. "And certainly, the ability to have his dad there in the offseason, and talk to someone that has done it, I'm sure helped. But you can tell that Griff has already put in a lot of work to get to the place he is now. He's looked very solid for someone that is taking on a brand new position, especially going from the grass into the dirt.”