After getting first taste of big leagues, Marlins’ Connor Norby has big goals for 2025
Connor Norby’s first extended run at the MLB level last season was a dry run of sorts. The Miami Marlins had already fallen well out of postseason contention when they acquired Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers from the Baltimore Orioles for left-handed pitcher Trevor Rogers. They wanted to see what they had in one of their potential future cornerstones.
It was far from perfect. Norby was learning a new position, shifting from the middle infield to third base, and was looking to make a solid first impression with a new franchise.
But overall, he made his mark.
Norby began his Marlins tenure with a 10-game hitting streak and went on to produce a .760 OPS with eight doubles and seven homers over 36 games.
“I think I showed them I can play at a high level, and I can do what they ask of me and what they want from me,” Norby said. “There were obviously bumps and bruises along the way, like anything else, but I would consider it a success.”
But the real success will come if Norby can build on that small sample size in his first full MLB season. The Marlins have high expectations for Norby, who they believe can be their long-term third baseman. Norby has high expectations for himself, too.
“I’m here to prove that I want to be one of the best players in the league, and I think I can do that,” Norby said. “That’s what it’s about — and helping the team win games. If I’m helping the team win games, I’m probably playing pretty well, too. So that’s the main focus.”
Norby, who was a second round pick out of East Carolina University in the 2021 draft, is known for his bat. He had a career .285 batting average with a .861 OPS and 172 extra-base hits (93 doubles, nine triples, 70 home runs) over four minor-league seasons. MLB Pipeline’s scouting report on Norby highlight how he “has always been quick to the ball and shown the ability to make consistent loud contact.”
That type of bat intrigued Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix.
“He can really hit,” Bendix said. “He’s got power. He’s got opposite-field power, which is hard to find. He is a grinder. He’s got a fantastic mentality. He is always trying to get better. He’s got a chip on his shoulder to prove to everybody that he can be great. And that’s exactly the type of player that we’re looking for.”
Norby said he put an emphasis this offseason on cleaning up his bat path, focusing on a flatter swing so that the barrel of the bat is in the strike zone longer. He’s also looking to add more power to his game. He set a personal goal to hit 30 home runs this season, though he added he won’t just be swinging for the fences or compromising his approach at the plate to make that happen.
“Connor’s very eager and excited to get out there and get better,” first-year Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “So that’s fine. Everyone needs to improve. It’s our job to try to create an environment that fosters that and challenges them in a game-like situation. Connor is going to get better. Connor is committed to getting better.”
That includes on defense, where he knows strides need to be made. The Marlins threw Norby into the fire after acquiring him last season by putting him at third base — a position he had never played before. He got seven games of reps at the hot corner at Triple A Jacksonville before playing a little more than a month there at the big-league level.
The results were as one might expect: Norby committed seven errors, five of which were throwing errors, over 267 innings.
“He needs to get better defensively. He knows that,” Bendix said. “That’s going to be a key to exactly how good he ends up is the defense. He doesn’t need to be a Gold Glove-caliber defender in order to be a superstar, and we’re going to do everything we can to get him better defensively.”
Norby said exactly how difficult the adjustment to third base was took him by surprise.
“It kind of came easy to me at the beginning, but then one bad play turned into two, and it just kind of spiraled a little bit,” said Norby, who added that he worked on throwing from different arm slots to get better at handling different situations he could deal with. “That’s mental as well, but you start learning the intricacies of third base and all the smaller details, and you’re like, ‘Dang. Well, I didn’t have to do that at second.’”
The Marlins are going to give Norby — and a slew of younger players on their roster as well — the opportunity to grow and learn at the big-league level this season.
Norby is looking to take full advantage of that opportunity.
“Having a full year,” Norby said, “that’s from something I’m really excited about — getting to be with this team for the long run, and not just kind of in spurts like it was last year.”
.JPG)