Jeff Conine

Jeff Conine
First baseman / Left fielder
Born: June 27, 1966 (1966-06-27) (age 45) Tacoma, Washington
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 16, 1990 for the Kansas City Royals
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 2007 for the New York Mets
Career statistics
Batting average	.285
Home runs	214
Runs batted in	1,071
Teams
Kansas City Royals (1990, 1992) Florida Marlins (1993–1997) Kansas City Royals (1998) Baltimore Orioles (1999–2003) Florida Marlins (2003–2005) Baltimore Orioles (2006) Philadelphia Phillies (2006) Cincinnati Reds (2007) New York Mets (2007)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star selection (1994, 1995) 2× World Series champion (1997, 2003) 1995 MLB All-Star Game MVP

Jeffrey Guy Conine ( /ˈkoʊnaɪn/; born June 27, 1966 in Tacoma, Washington) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman/outfielder who played several years with the Florida Marlins. Previously, Conine played with the Kansas City Royals (1990, 1992, 1998), Florida Marlins (1993-1997, 2003-2005), Baltimore Orioles (1999-2003, 2006), Philadelphia Phillies (2006), Cincinnati Reds (2007), and New York Mets (2007). He batted and threw right-handed. He became well-known as Niner^[1] and Mr. Marlin^[2] for his significant history as a Marlins player and ties to South Florida. He has also been called "The Barbarian"^[2] (after "Conan the Barbarian").

Professional career

A graduate from UCLA, Conine started his major league career with the Kansas City Royals and was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 1993 expansion draft. After a second stint with Kansas City and five seasons with Baltimore, he returned to the Marlins in the 2003 midseason.

In 1994, Conine hit a career high .319 batting average with 18 home runs and 82 RBI and made the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, but his most productive season came in 1995, when he posted a career high 105 RBI with a .302 average and 25 home runs. That season, he was named the All-Star Game MVP after hitting a pinch-hit homer to win the game.

In 1996, Conine finished with 26 home runs, a career high, 95 RBI, and a .293 average.

In his first stint with the Orioles, Conine hit at least .284 four times, with a high of .311 in 2001. In his second stint with the Marlins, he collected 193 RBI in 314 games.

In a 17-season career, Conine was a .285 hitter with 214 home runs and 1071 RBI in 2024 games.^[3]

Conine has the distinction of being the only player to appear in the opener of the Marlins' inaugural season, the 1997 World Series Marlins' championship team, and the 2003 World Series Marlins' championship team.

He was signed by the Orioles to a one-year deal in the 2005 offseason. On August 27, 2006, Conine was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. On December 21, 2006, he was traded by the Phillies to the Reds for two minor league prospects, Bradley Key and Javon Moran.

On August 20, 2007, Conine was traded to the New York Mets for minor leaguers Sean Henry and Jose Castro.[1] Having won World Series titles with Florida in 1997 and 2003, and planning to retire after the 2007 season, Conine was delighted to spend the last months of his final season on a contending team. He was quoted as saying, "My initial thought is: 'First place.' I get to go back to another pennant race."^[4] This was not to be when the Mets lost their final series to his former team, the Marlins and first place in the division, to the Phillies. On September 20, 2007, Conine announced that he was considering retirement before his final series in South Florida.[2]

On September 30, 2007, Conine played his last game, against the Marlins, when he came in as a replacement for an injured player.

On March 16, 2008, Conine agreed to a one-day contract with the Florida Marlins, which he signed on March 28, 2008. The Marlins had a tribute to Conine before their home opener on March 31.^[5]

Post-career

After retiring from baseball, Conine began training to compete in triathlons. In October 2008 he completed the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.^[6] He explained, "It’s the most grueling test in sports, and for some odd reason that really appeals to me."^[7]

Conine appeared as a color commentator on three Florida Marlins Fox Sports Net telecasts, September 19–September 21, 2008, filling in for Tommy Hutton.^[8] He currently works in the Marlins' front office as a special assistant to the team president, David Samson.^[9]

Personal life

Jeff Conine and his wife Cindy Conine have three children. Jeff and Cindy are both world class racquetball players.^[10]

See also

• List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• List of Baltimore Orioles Opening Day Starting Lineups

References

1. ^ Mandel, Ken (2007-03-12). "Mailbag: Who will emerge at third?". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070312&content_id=1839713&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi. Retrieved 2007-06-17. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Jeff Conine". Conines.com. Jeff Conine's Clubhouse Grille. http://www.conines.com/jeffconine.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-17. 
3. ^ "http://www.baseball-reference.com". http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/coninje01.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
4. ^ Madden, Bill (2007-08-21). "Pickup's name has familiar ring". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/index.html. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
5. ^ The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: Conine to retire a Marlin
6. ^ "Baseball Star turned Ironman: Jeff Conine". http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/kevin-mackinnon-profiles-the-first-major-league-baseball-player-to-finish-the-ironman. Retrieved 2009-09-02. 
7. ^ Williams, Pete (April 23, 2008). "Starting His Retirement With a Splash". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/sports/othersports/23conine.html 
8. ^ Jackson, Barry (September 12, 2008). "ON SPORTS MEDIA: NFL analysts receive mixed reviews in Week 1" (– ^{Scholar search}). The Miami Herald. http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/683147.html ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ Associated Press (2008-12-08). "Former OF Conine rejoins Marlins". SportingnewsS.com. http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=495006. Retrieved 2008-12-10. 
10. ^ Outside Pitch Cover Story: Jeff Conine: Leading Role

External links

• Career statistics and player information from ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube

Preceded by Matt Williams	National League Player of the Month June, 1995	Succeeded by Dante Bichette
Preceded by Fred McGriff	Major League Baseball All-Star Game Most Valuable Player 1995	Succeeded by Mike Piazza

Persondata
Name	Conine, Jeff
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 27, 1966
Place of birth	Tacoma, Washington
Date of death
Place of death