Griffin Conine is learning a new position as Marlins put a premium on versatility

Griffin Conine is trading the outfield grass for the infield dirt. The Miami Marlins’ slugger, who has been an outfielder his entire career, will be getting extended reps at first base this spring training with the hopes of finding a regular spot in the lineup. “A lot of it is just comfort, which is just going to take a lot of reps,” Conine said of learning the position. “That’s what spring’s for. I’m used to being 200 feet away [from the hitter in the outfield], and now I’m 90, so that’s definitely part of it. Mechanically, it’s a little different. The ball’s getting on you a lot quicker.” Conine and recent free agent signing Christopher Morel are the primary players getting reps at first base on the opening days of spring training. Backup catcher Liam Hicks will also get reps there, as he did last season, while Connor Norby and Heriberto Hernandez have been named as potential options to play first base. None are natural first basemen. And the Marlins aren’t necessarily looking for superior defense at the position right away from the guys. For the next six weeks, the focus is on those players getting as acclimated as possible. “There’s a time element,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said, “and so I think getting adjusted to that a little bit and calibrating to things just getting on you quicker at first base in particular. It’s getting to the base, getting comfortable getting to the base, squaring up, probably not feeling like you have to stretch as much as you think, and just catch the ball. Most plays are just thrown over there; just catch it. Take the outs that are there. We’re not looking for a Gold Glove on Day 1. It’s get over there where you feel comfortable taking throws and taking the outs, whether it’s that lead out on a ground ball or a flip to the pitcher or taking it yourself.” That said, athleticism and versatility are two focal points for this Marlins team. And players having multiple ways of getting on the field gives the Marlins more permutations when it comes to setting their lineup on a day-to-day basis if there are multiple ways for each player to get onto the field. Javier Sanoja is the team’s super-utility player who can sub in at second base, third base, shortstop and any of the outfield positions whenever needed. In addition to learning first base, Morel has experience at second base, third base and the outfield. Hicks can catch and play first base. Norby started as a second baseman before moving to third after being traded to the Marlins in 2024. Now, Conine and Hernandez are learning first base in addition to what they offer as corner outfielders. “We value versatility,” Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said. “We value guys who can play multiple different positions, and we value not necessarily having to do that, having to put somebody in a new spot that they’ve never played, in the middle of the season. So if we can give guys opportunities in spring training, even if it’s only a backup plan or Plan C or Plan D, just that they’ve done it before, just that they understand the rhythms, understand where to go on cuts and relays, all of that, we’re going to do that during spring training as much as we possibly can.” The Marlins are not expecting perfection as these players traverse new positions. They know there are going to be growing pains. But how they respond to the transitions will be more telling to the coaching staff than the initial mistakes that are made. “There’s the game element where they’re just going to be in situations that come up that are just foreign, and they’re new,” McCullough said. “They’re going to get lost in the field, which I think that’s OK and expected that there’s just some things that you haven’t seen before. It’s one thing to draw it on a board, but now, when it’s live action and going, that it’s kind of easy to get lost, which is fine, and that’s what this time is for. We hope those things happen a lot, so that it just adds to their Rolodex of information.” Conine is up for any and every opportunity if it means seeing the field regularly. He showed promise early in 2025, hitting .281 with a .790 on-base-plus-slugging percentage through 20 games before dislocating his shoulder and missing all but the final week of the season. But Miami’s outfield is loaded right now. Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee and Owen Caissie are the projected Opening Day starters. That leaves Sanoja, Conine and Hernandez vying for occasional reps. While Conine is a natural fit to be an occasional designated hitter with his power, Miami likes to rotate players in and out of that spot when they need a day off their feet. So a new challenge is ahead of him. “I think they are confident in the athlete that I am that I can do it,” Conine said. “That’s why I’m I’m over there right now, and I’m excited to keep working on it.”