Marlins select sons of 2 of their former players in draft

MIAMI (AP) The Miami Marlins drafted two players Wednesday who have already spent a lot of time around the franchise.

Griffin Conine and Alexander Fernandez are the sons of former Marlins players who earned World Series rings.

Conine, a high school outfielder from Weston, Florida, was drafted in the 31st round. His father, Marlins special assistant Jeff Conine, played for the Marlins' championship teams in 1997 and 2003 and ranks second in club history in games and RBIs.

Nova Southeastern University infielder-outfielder Alexander Fernandez was taken in the 25th round. His father, Alex, pitched for the Marlins' 1997 title team.

''Any time you have bloodlines like that, it kind of helps the odds,'' vice president of scouting Stan Meek said. ''They've been around it. They're not intimidated by it. That really helps when you start talking about the development of players.''

The Marlins drafted Conine even though they anticipate he'll accept a scholarship offer from Duke.

''He has some college aspirations,'' Meek said. ''At least it sets the bar for us going forward that people know what we think of him. We really like his ability.''