The Miami Marlins might be too far out of first place to catch the Atlanta Braves, but the franchise is still eyeing a path to the 2026 playoffs. Entering a series against the Cincinnati Reds with a 62-60 record, the Marlins have some work to do to get into the dance. One of the biggest reasons Miami hasn't faltered this season, despite prolonged losing streaks, has been the youth movement for the offense. Arguably the biggest contributor for the Marlins following the first half of the campaign has been outfielder Griffin Conine. The Difference Between First Half Conine & Second Half Conine Miami Marlins left fielder Griffin Conine (18) celebrates his winning hit. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectConine joined the Marlins late in the season in the first half, collecting 30 games before the MLB All-Star break. In those 30 games, the third-year player hit .266 with an OPS of .869, hit five home runs and drove in 12 RBIs. The level of production has significantly increased since the Midsummer Classic. Conine comes into the series against the Reds with the third-best OPS in Major League Baseball for the second half of the season, boasting an OPS of 1.012 in a minimum of 80 plate appearances. — Miami Marlins (@Marlins) August 14, 2026Ahead of him in that statistic is Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, who holds a 1.043 and Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres, who holds a 1.032. Conine also holds a .293 AVG in the second half so far, has smashed eight home runs and has driven in 15 RBIs. One area for improvement for Conine is to increase his number of doubles; he has only hit two in the second half of the season after hitting four in the first half. However, since he's also hitting home runs and impressively ranking high in the OPS department, no fan would complain about his performance.The former second-round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2018 MLB Draft has made his presence known in Miami since debuting in 2024 and could be a big piece of the near future for the franchise. At 29 years old, he might also be a player the front office looks to move to add prospects, should that be the way they're leaning to improve the future. In August alone, Conine is hitting .314 with an OPS of 1.114 and is riding a five-game hit streak ahead of the Reds series. Cincinnati is below .500, so if there were ever a series for Miami to take, it's this one. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow