Blue Jays prospect Griffin Conine plans to use his low second-round selection in this month's MLB Draft as motivation as he embarks on his quest to get to the big leagues.
Conine, the son of two-time all-star Jeff Conine, was picked by Toronto with the 52nd overall selection. The Duke University outfielder was at one time pegged to have first-round potential but his stock slipped due to an uneven junior year.
The 20-year-old from Weston, Fla., finished the season with 18 homers, a .281 average and 52 runs batted in for the Blue Devils.
"I think of myself as a guy with first-round tools and first-round talent," Conine said Thursday on a conference call. "Not to sound cocky or arrogant, I think that's where a lot of people pegged me as well going into that junior year. Absolutely I will draw on that for motivation and how I carry myself.
"I want to be respected and play like a first-rounder and advance through the system as one too. That's definitely something that will motivate me going forward."
Conine's signing was announced by the Blue Jays on Wednesday. MLB Pipeline said he has signed for the full slot value of US$1.35 million.
The six-foot-one 200-pounder has impressive power potential but a high strikeout rate to match. Conine hit the longest homer in U.S. college baseball this season — a 497-foot bomb in a game May 6 — but fanned 74 times in 227 at-bats.
Conine made his debut Wednesday with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. He went 0 for 3 with a walk and an outfield assist in a 3-2 win over GCL Phillies West.
"My next goal is to just advance through the system as quick as I can," Conine said. "I think when you look at guys like (Boston's Andrew) Benintendi and some high college draft picks over the past couple of years, we're kind of moving into a direction where guys can fly through the system when they show good numbers and are able to adjust quickly to the different levels.
"That's my plan. I want to be able to be one of those guys that can advance through the system really quick and find myself in Toronto in a couple years."
Toronto signed first-round selection Jordan Groshans and 25 other 2018 draft picks last week.
Conine's father played for six teams over his 17-year big-league career. The Blue Jays have several second-generation players in their system, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette and Kacy Clemens.
The Blue Devils reached the NCAA Lubbock Super Regionals earlier this month before falling to Texas Tech.
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Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press