Norby makes Marlins debut at third base as Miami loses 9-6 to Diamondbacks

When Connor Norby was informed he was being traded from the Orioles, he was one of the few who did not find out from X.

“I did get a call from the Orioles GM,” Norby said. “Then I had to call everybody and tell them, and then I saw it on Twitter — or X.”

Norby and left fielder Kyle Stowers, who did find out the trade via X, were dealt to the Marlins in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher Trevor Rogers.

But while Stowers got to compete for the Marlins on a day-to-day basis, Norby was optioned to Jacksonville Triple A, where he had to switch from second base to third. According to the 24-year old infielder, playing third base requires him to trust his instincts more, as he has less time to react to balls than at second base.

“I’ve been a second baseman since college,” Norby said. “[It is] brand new to me for sure. I haven’t seen a ground ball [at third base] since five or six years ago. It’s been a long time, but it hasn’t been too bad.”

“There’s guys that are going to be hitting 110 mile-an-hour ground balls to him. That’s a little bit different there than at second base, so that’s OK if he makes a mistake. That’s gonna happen and that’s part of making the change.”

The Marlins designated third baseman Emmanuel Rivera for assignment earlier Monday, making way for Norby to be called up to the big leagues and immediately start. Rivera had a poor slash line of .214/.294/.269 in 96 games this season, and the Marlins are hoping Norby can be a better bat in the lineup while also maintaining the solid defense Rivera provided.

Norby has only had 32 at-bats in the majors this season, where he has hit .188 with a .594 OPS and struck out 12 times. However, he has been excellent in Triple A this year, tallying 17 home runs on a .293/.382/.496 slash line. While it will be another challenge to translate that hitting to the majors, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker is confident Norby’s bat will be a positive for the Marlins lineup.

“The bat is gonna play up here,” Schumaker said. “I really believe that, and I think the edge [he has] is really gonna play in that clubhouse.”

Norby has recently begun ditching the toe-tap, which has been part of his batting routine since playing professional baseball.

“I just felt like it was kind of a plateau,” Norby said. “I felt like it was as good as it was gonna get. It’s hard to control the timing. I thought mine was pretty good, and it’s been working for me so far, but I needed to get into a better spot more consistently. So I was messing with it just in a drill like a week ago.”

Norby went 1 for 4 with an RBI in the Marlins’ 9-6 loss to the Diamondbacks on Monday and appeared comfortable fielding ground balls at third base.

With the playoffs out of reach, it appears president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is attempting to evaluate the Marlins’ farm system by bringing up a number of players to the big leagues.

While starting pitcher Valente Bellozo has had promising outings in his last three games, it remains to be seen if Bendix can find another diamond in the rough through the minors.

New season-ticket program

The Marlins announced that they are introducing flex-membership seating starting in 2025. Flex-memberships allow fans to choose the number of tickets they buy and their seating location on a game-by-game basis. It also allows attendees to only pick and pay for games that fit their schedule.

Memberships will start at $750 and there will be six tiers from fans to choose from, which provide gradual discounts up to 45% off per game. Fans will be able to sign up by enrolling in MarlinsEnrollment.com/Familia.

This and That

▪ Kyle Stowers had his first multihit game in a Marlins jersey, going 3 for 4 with three singles.

▪ In his debut with the Marlins, starting pitcher Andrew Oller went 4.2 innings and allowed five earned runs, coming from a grand-slam and solo home run.

▪ Starting pitcher Braxton Garrett will be evaluated for a bullpen session in the next few days.

▪ Right fielder Dane Myers has progressed to doing physical activity on AlterG, which is an anti-gravity treadmill used for physical therapy.

▪ Relief pitcher Anthony Bender is completing rehab activities in Jupiter, Fla after being put on the 15-day IL last week. He will be evaluated for some progressive activities in the next few days.