Despite a slow start, Norby's plate approach shows promising patience and power, fueling Marlins' optimism for a turnaround season.
Connor Norby needed that home run on Wednesday.
After struggling to bat above .200 to start the season, the Miami Marlins first baseman’s solo home run in a 7-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds was a signal of him potentially turning around his fortunes at the plate. On Friday, Norby struck out, drew a walk and hit a double to provide half of the Marlins offense in a 2-0 loss against the Detroit Tigers
“I’m seeing a ton of pitches, hitting balls hard. They’re just not falling,” Norby said. “It can always be more frustrating at times when they’re not falling and you’re feeling good. Clayton and our hitting coach just reminded me to stick to the process and don’t veer off from what I’m doing.”
What has had Marlins manager Clayton McCullough encouraged in Norby’s approach at the plate, despite the slow start, is his walk rate at 11.9 percent.
“For Connor to be sporting a walk rate that he is sporting now in comparison to his career to this point is a good sign,” McCullough said. “The kinds of counts he’s working and his calmness at the plate show a more patient version of him."
Norby, in his second season with the Marlins, is far more perceptive this time around. He told reporters on Wednesday that he learned not to “ride that roller coaster of emotion like I did last year.”
“If you asked me this last year, I would have probably been in full panic mode by now,” Norby said.
Norby entered 2025 with aspirations of hitting 30 home runs and establishing himself as the star of a team full of rookies. Injuries had him only play half of the season and hitting eight home runs in 88 games.
In 45 plate appearances this season, Norby has as many strikeouts as hits (8) and six walks. Like Jakob Marsee and other teammates, Norby has run into bad luck in which the contact was good but the ball lands straight into a fielder’s glove.
“Some guys are kind of getting unlucky, kind of like me,” Norby said. “We've got to stick to the process even more. It’s a long season and they’ll even out.”
Norby was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2021 with a second-round pick. He established his bona fides as a premier hitting prospect in 2022, when he hit 29 home runs, and doubled down in 2023 with 21 homers and 92 RBI, while batting .290 in Triple-A Norfolk.
“This guy has always been a good hitter,” McCullough said.
On a team filled with premier infield talent, Norby became expendable and was sent to Miami in 2024, along with Kyle Stowers, in a trade for Trevor Rogers.
Defensively, Norby had to adapt ever since he joined the Marlins. Miami placed him at third base upon acquiring him despite never playing the position in the minor leagues. In the Orioles organization, Norby played second base and outfield.
By the time he adjusted to the hot corner, the Marlins made him the primary first baseman, filling a role left by Christopher Morel's injury. The self-proclaimed jack of all trades is adjusting far better at first base than the prior year.
“Every day, I feel a little more comfortable,” Norby said. “I like the adjustment better than last year. Last year at third was tough.”
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