Conley chased Hamilton back to first with three throws over before finally catching “the fastest man in baseball” leaning on the fourth toss to record the pickoff.
“That was the first time I’ve ever tried a pickoff four times in a row,” Conley said. “The (Pensacola) fans were really ragging me for throwing over three times. The fourth time I got him and kind of pumped my fist and yelled.”
Hamilton isn’t the first person to be caught off guard by Conley, a 6-foot-1 right-hander who went undrafted following his senior season at XU in 2009, the first of many setbacks he has overcome in making the climb through the Miami Marlins minor league system.
“I really thought I was going to get drafted, and when I didn’t it was pretty big disappointment,” said Conley, who turns 26 today. “But now I feel like it really helped me to be tougher and work harder and have that underdog mentality that has gotten me where I’m at right now. As an undrafted free agent, you have to prove yourself over and over and over again.”
Conley signed his free agent deal with the Marlins a few weeks after the 2009 draft and got an invitation to spring training in 2010. But when camp broke, he was left behind in extended spring training.
“It’s kind of slap in the face,” he said. “It means you didn’t make any team (in the organization).”
He eventually joined the 2010 draft picks for short-season rookie ball in Jamestown, N.Y., where he had a sub-2.00 ERA and led the team in saves. But after spring training in 2011, he was left behind again for extended work.
Just two weeks later he got called up to Low-A Greensboro, where he spent the year. He began this season at High-A Jupiter as a set-up man, where he was 3.0 with 1.51 ERA in 26 appearances, earning a promotion to Double-A Jacksonville last month.
“It was neat how it happened because my parents (Bob and Brenda) and my wife Rachel were here visiting,” Conley said. “They were waiting for me after a game, and I got called into the office and told I was being promoted. I got to go out and give them the news in person and share an embrace instead of making that long-distance call.”
Since joining Double-A in the same relief role, Conley is 1-1 with an 0.59 ERA in 15 1/3 innings with 13 strikeouts and three walks.
“I’ve been a little guy and the underdog all of my life,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to prove to others that I can do this. I wouldn’t be doing this unless the goal was to make the major leagues. That’s what I’m shooting for.”
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