We pick up our top 100 countdown with Duke outfielder Griffin Conine.
Ranked as the 402nd best prospect by Perfect Game in 2015, he was taken by the Miami Marlins in the 31st round of the draft that same year.
He obviously put that on hold to come to Duke where he hit just .205 as a freshman in 73 at-bats.
However, he played in the Northwoods League that following and summer and put on a show by belting 16 home runs and hitting .286 in 213 at-bats with 43 runs scored, 15 doubles, 47 RBI, 16 stolen bases, 30 walks, 43 strikeouts and a .384 on-base-percentage.
Conine carried that momentum into his sophomore season with Duke by hitting .298 in 218 at-bats with 52 runs scored, 11 doubles, 13 home runs, 56 RBI, 9 stolen bases, 41 walks, 45 strikeouts and a .425 on-base-percentage. That led to him being a Second-Team All-ACC player.
In the summer of 2017 he played in the Cape Cod League and saw his stock rise even higher by hitting .329 in 164 at-bats with 32 runs scored, 5 doubles, 9 home runs, 28 RBI, 3 stolen bases, 20 walks, 43 strikeouts and a .406 on-base-percentage.
He won the CCBL’s Robert A. McNeece Award, which is awarded to the league’s top pro prospect and voted upon by Major League Baseball scouts.
The 6-foot-1, 200 pound left-handed hitter has a very simple approach at the plate. He starts with a bit of an open stance and takes a short stride towards the plate before unleashing a violent swing.
I really love this kid’s hands as there is very little movement and he just throws them at the baseball with all he’s got.
The only thing that scares from what I’ve seen on video is that he tends to be a little pull happy. You might see teams start to shift on him this year.
But Conine’s combination of power and speed will certainly make him one of the best players in college baseball this year, and a top draft pick in the upcoming MLB Draft.
