Conine was born in Tacoma, Washington, played baseball at UCLA, and was drafted in the 58th round of the 1987 Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals. After two cup of coffee stints with the Royals, Conine was selected by the Marlins in the 1992 Major League Baseball expansion draft. Becoming the team\'s first star, he played five seasons with the Marlins, earning the most valuable player award at the 1995 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and earning a World Series title in 1997.\n', '

A victim of a fire sale after the 1997 season, Conine was traded to the Royals where he played in 93 games. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles prior to the 1999 season, where he had several productive seasons. Traded back to the Marlins in 2003 for a couple of prospects, he helped the team win a second World Series title. He remained with the team until 2005, returning to the Orioles as a free agent. He became a journeyman outfielder near the end of his career, signing a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Marlins in 2008.\n', '

Conine played college baseball at UCLA, where he was originally a relief pitcher. In the summer of 1986, he won a Cape Cod Baseball League title with the Orleans Cardinals. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 58th round of the 1987 Major League Baseball draft as a first baseman. Prior to the draft, Conine was considered a mediocre pitching prospect with a high earned run average and a "decent" slider. He only had one at-bat as a member of the Bruins, but he was hit by a pitch. A recommendation by Royals scout and former UCLA pitching coach Guy Hansen led Conine to be drafted, when he told Royals general manager John Schuerholz that the best hitter on UCLA\'s team "was a pitcher". After three minor league seasons, in which he batted .290 with 39 home runs and 214 runs batted in, he joined the Royals as a September call-up in 1990. He returned to the minors for two more seasons, and learned to play the outfield with the Omaha Royals before returning to the majors late in the 1992 season.\n', '

Return to Jeff Conine Autograph Profile