Norby graduated from East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, No. Carolina.

Connor was off to East Carolina Univ. He only hit  .194 clip (6-for-31) with a home run and six RBI in 2019 as a freshman.

But he displayed a hot bat in the Covid-shortened 2020 season, hitting an impressive .403 clip (25-for-62) with a home run, 10 RBI and 14 runs scored.

July 2021: The Orioles chose Norby in the second round, out of East Carolina University. The slot value for the 41st pick was $1,813,500. The O's signed Norby for a $1.7 million bonus, via scout Quincy Boyd.

Fun Fact:  East Carolina head coach Cliff Godwin called Connor “the best right-handed hitter I’ve ever coached,” in an interview with the Greensboro News & Record.  That's high praise considering Godwin was an assistant at Louisiana State when Yankees star DJ LeMahieu was there.

“When you don’t get four hits in a game, you kind of feel down about yourself a little bit, but I always want to have as many good at-bats as I can in a day,” Norby told the News & Record.  “If I’m hitting .400, I want to hit .500. If I’m hitting .500, I want to hit .600.  There’s not an end goal for me and there never will be.  That’s a trait the great players have.”  (Trezza - mlb.com - 7/12/2021)

2021 Season: He was drafted in the second round of the 2021 Draft after slashing .415/.484/.659/1.143 with 15 home runs and a 33 BB – 34 K ratio in 284 PAs during his junior year at East Caroline University.

Norby made a solid pro debut putting up a 25% line drive rate, .397 wOBA and a 135 wRC+ in 126 PAs in Low-A ball. His hit tool is his calling card with a line drive approach and occasional pop. The 21-year old hits to all fields and and can pepper both alleys for doubles and the occasional triple with solid average speed. On the bases he’s a good instinctual runner rather than a burner.

Defensively, Norby has solid hands and good range at second base, but his arm can be inaccurate at times, and he made several errant throws during relays for errors. He made his share of errors in college as well, so it bares watching whether he can improve that aspect of his defensive play. (Tony Pente - Nov 4, 2021) 

In 2022, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Connor as 12th-best Orioles prospect. He moved up to #7 in the spring of 2023. He was at #8 in 2024.

2022 Season: Pop quiz! Who leads the Orioles organization in home runs this season? If you guessed Anthony Santander, Gunnar Henderson or Adley Rutschman you’d be incorrect. The right answer is Connor Norby. The 2021 second-round pick has climbed the three highest levels of the minors in 2022, hitting a robust .278/.360/.523.   (Geoff Pontes - Sept 22, 2022)

The Orioles already lead the field with eight Top 100 prospects, yet some evaluators believe Norby should have increased their lead even further. Having swatted a Baltimore farm system-high 29 homers last year, the 2021 second-rounder finds himself on the precipice of the big leagues on the back of his ample power potential.  (Jesse Borek - Feb. 7, 2023)

2023 Season: Norby has solidified himself as a bat first prospect with a solid hit tool with above average power. Only Heston Kjerstad’s 34.7% line drive rate was higher than Norby’s 27.5% in AAA. The 23-year old drives the ball to all fields and although his 14.7% HR/FB% was the lowest of his career, he collected a career high 40 doubles to go along with his 21 homers. Playing in AAA all season, Norby set an affiliate record with a 164 hits.

He seems to be slow starter who heats up with the weather. After slashing just .265/.311/.347/.658 with home runs in 106 April PAs, he slashed .298/.369/.515/.884 from May to the end of the season. He showed he was completely major league ready by September when he slashed .313/.414/.590/1.005 with 5 homers, 14 BBs, and 15Ks in 99 PAs.

Norby will chase sliders away on occasion, and while he doesn’t have elite bat speed, he makes adjustments during games and at bats. His bat is major league ready. He does have some miss in his swing, but not at an extreme rate (21.6 K%). He’ll draw some walks, but it won’t be a huge part of his offensive game.

Defensively, he did improve some at second base, but he’s still a below average defender on the dirt. He did turn the double play better and he’s got average second base arm strength but his accuracy is not always there especially when he has to throw hard on a play. He gets caught in short hops too often he seems to occasionally lose focus on making simple catches or pop ups.. He committed 16 errors this year in just 105 games at second base.

By September, the Orioles were splitting his time between left field and second base, and while he looks inexperienced in the outfield with some awkward routes and catches, he was a gamer out there and made several diving catches. 

He’s got the speed to play out there and with more experience, he could turn into an average defensive outfielder.

What we don’t know: Norby’s bat is major league ready, but where does he play defensively? The Orioles are stacked at second base with much better defenders, so if he stays in the organization, his best chance at getting everyday PAs is in left field, but even there he’s got to beat out Austin Hays and Colton Cowser currently.

What we think: While Norby is major league ready offensively, his path to every day PAs with the Orioles looks blocked at his current positions. He’s a prime candidate to be traded this offseason and without a series of trades of players ahead of him, he’ll be back in AAA. He’s put up a .295/.362/.498/.860 slash line in 675 AAA PAs now. There’s nothing left for his bat to prove. (Tony Pente - Nov 18, 2023)

BROTHER ETHAN AT ECU

Spring 2024: Whenever Connor Norby gets the opportunity during baseball season, he watches or tracks the games played by East Carolina University. The 23-year-old Orioles infield prospect is a former ECU Pirate, and he often supports his former program on social media.

So after Norby finished his Spring Training work at the Ed Smith Stadium complex on Feb. 16, he streamed ECU’s opener vs. Rider, as he normally would this time of year. But this season, he has a rooting interest that goes beyond a former college player cheering on his old school.

That day at Clark-LeClair Stadium, a freshman left-handed pitcher made his collegiate debut: Ethan Norby, Connor’s younger brother.

“It was weird, for sure. But I was super happy for him,” said the elder Norby. “It’s always weird, right? Because you picture them still as your little sibling.”

It wasn’t always the plan for Ethan to go to ECU, where Connor played from 2019-21. Quite the opposite.

Originally, Ethan wanted to carve a different path. He had already been the second Norby to play for a program during his time at East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, N.C. When he was going through the recruiting process in the summer of 2022, Connor told him, “Don’t close the door on ECU.” Still, it didn’t seem likely another Norby would become a Pirate.

“I didn’t really want to come here, honestly,” Ethan said. “I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps.”

Shortly after that, the younger Norby had a change of mind. That summer, Ethan got a call from ECU pitching coach Austin Knight. Only a few days later, Ethan was on campus for a visit. Then, only minutes later, he committed to play for the Pirates.

Connor didn’t exactly see it coming. As he remembers it, Ethan called him 30 minutes after the visit to say he wanted to commit to East Carolina. After Connor suggested taking some time to think about it, Ethan called back another half hour later to break the news.

“I’m like, ‘All right, well, you didn’t listen to anything anyone said. But I’m glad,’” Connor said. “At that point, it was cool, and I understood the significance behind it.”

“It just all hit me,” Ethan said. “I could go to the same place that he played college baseball at, continue that legacy.”

ECU is off to a 5-3 start this season, and Ethan has already made his first three pitching appearances. After starting a bullpen game at Old Dominion, he has a 9.00 ERA over four innings. 

Connor’s freshman season with the Pirates wasn’t his best, as he hit .194 (6-for-31) over 27 games in 2019. He only got sporadic playing time and didn’t record his first hit until April 24 of that year in the Pirates’ 41st game.

How’d Connor respond? By hitting .403 (25-for-62) in 17 games as a sophomore in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, then hitting .415 (102-for-246) in 61 games as a junior in ‘21 and getting selected by the Orioles in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

“That’s all he needed. He’s just taken off ever since then,” said Ethan, who became increasingly confident that Connor would eventually be a big leaguer while watching his brother’s games in 2020.

Connor is now on the MLB doorstep. He had a remarkable season at Triple-A Norfolk in 2023 -- posting a .290/.359/.483 slash line with 40 doubles, 21 homers, 92 RBIs and 104 runs scored in 138 games.

Perhaps Ethan will be a top MLB Draft prospect by the time 2026 or 2027 rolls around, and he could follow his older brother into the pros. 

“With how hard he works and the time he commits to himself, the work ethic he has and what he expects out of himself, I’ve never seen it in a kid that age,” Connor said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he reaches the big leagues at all one day.”  (Jake Rill - Feb. 28, 2024)

MLB debut (June 3, 2024): Norby went 0-3 in his big league action but then bounced back in a big way in his second career start. Orioles up 8-1 on the lowly Blue Jays and his best friend Colton Cowser on 2nd base, sure seems like a good time for your first career hit, right? He did one better; he smoked his first career home run into the Blue Jays bullpen to give the O's a 10-1 lead which would be the final score.

Sept 1, 2024: Marlins No. 3 prospect Connor Norby has brought an edge to the diamond since making his club debut on Aug. 19. The 24-year-old, who landed with Miami in the Trevor Rogers trade, has a 1.002 OPS in 12 games with the Marlins.

In this Q&A, we catch up with the Minnesota-born infielder.

MLB.com: How often did you play hockey growing up? 

Norby: I wanted to play hockey so bad. I couldn't stop. I never took hockey seriously. I never took lessons. I just kind of skated, like, pond hockey, boot hockey. I was always basketball in the winter, and then I was baseball in the spring, summer, football in the fall. And then I quit football because I wanted to play more baseball.

I would always joke with my friends growing up that played hockey. I was like, "See you at practice tomorrow. What time's practice?" And they're like, "6 a.m." "Oh, never mind. Not going to be there." But I followed it, growing up, obviously. Minnesota is a hockey state. And then I think for sure, the last two years, I don't think I've missed a game. I'll start any free trial to watch my team [the Minnesota Wild] play.

MLB.com: Do you have a secret talent?

Norby: I have really good handwriting. Is that a talent? I think I get it from my mom. Hers isn't necessarily super nice, but it looks good. She does these weird loops with her K's and stuff like that. I've always taken pride in my handwriting. I don't know why.

MLB.com: Is that a journal of sorts?

Norby: That's when I read the Bible every day. I just jot a little something down every day.

MLB.com: Do you have a life or baseball motto? 

Norby: [Points to a tattoo on his wrist] "Don't think." I think would be a good one. That's [Dodgers righty] Jack Flaherty's. He's had that forever. I like what it stands for, trying to just trust the work that you put in, and when you get out there, try to be as clear-headed as possible and just play your game. I like that one.

And I think something that [retired NFL receiver Julian] Edelman said: "You can either prove them right or you can prove them wrong." And I've lived by that since high school, just because he wasn't the biggest guy, but he's got three Super Bowl rings, and he was important. He was never the main guy, but without him, [the New England Patriots] don't win. 

I heard [Marlins manager Skip Schumaker] say it one time. Everybody's always got an opinion, and they view you some way, and you either prove them right, prove them wrong, however they view you. You want to have all your supporters. "I can do this. I am good." But then all the people that maybe gave up on you are like, "Oh, he's not that good. This guy's better." Like, "No, the work I put in and everything like that, I am that good."

MLB.com: How many tattoos do you have?

Norby: Six.

MLB.com: When did you get your first one, and which is your favorite? 

Norby: I got [my first one] during COVID. My mom was not happy, but she also knew, because I'd spoken about getting a tattoo for a long time. But I was still on her budget as a college student. So when she sees $200 taken out of the ATM . . .

My favorite one is my big one that I got, it's just the stairway to heaven [on my left arm]. I have little things like this one [points at left biceps]. And then this one [points at right biceps] I got for my childhood friend. He ended up committing suicide, unfortunately, and I just got the date in Roman numerals. His parents still reach out. I've seen them a couple times, and they come down once every year to see me. He always wanted to play professional baseball, so it’s like having him live the dream through me. I thought that was something I could do for him.

A couple years ago is when I really started reading the Bible religiously and believing in that stuff, believing in God and His plan and trusting Him. I don't know what else I'm going to do [tattoo-wise]. I don't know if I'll do anything else, but most of the stuff that I have is just the mental reminders or just things I believe in. (CD Nicola - MLB.com - Sept 1, 2024)

TRANSACTIONS

Norby has a solid 55 grade hit tool, maybe 60. He has average 50 grade power to go with it. 

A right-handed hitter with a simple, compact swing, Norby is quick to the ball and makes consistent loud contact. He punishes fastballs and is adept enough at recognizing spin to more than hold his own against breaking stuff, which he slugged .459 against last year. (The Triple-A average slugging against non-fastballs was .394.) Furthermore, subtle changes to his approach have turned what looked like solid extra-base power into at least 20-homer pop. (Spring 2024)

Connor's knack for hard contact showed in 2023 as he continued to live up to the “pure hitter” description he had when he entered the organization. He hits the ball at good angles with a line-drive swing from the right side, showing a willingness to drive the ball the other way and an ability to tap into his pull-side power as the season progressed.

He struggled to control the strike zone early in the season, particularly chasing fastballs up in the zone, but he was closer to the above-average hitter with average power he projects to be as he returned to a more disciplined approach over the course of the year. (Jon Meoli - BA Prospect Handbook - Spring, 2024)

The right-handed hitter has always been quick to the ball and shown the ability to make consistent loud contact. He absolutely punishes fastballs, batting .368 and slugging .735 against heaters between Double- and Triple-A in 2022. Some small changes to his approach have turned what looked like solid extra-base power to at least above-average over-the-fence pop and he can hit it out to all fields. (BA - Spring 2023)

Connor has a balanced set of plate skills and has shown the ability to hit for impact. While his high-end exit velocity numbers are solid, his ability to make consistent hard contact stands out.

Norby's breakout in 2022 came as he found comfortable lower-body patterning by recommitting to a toe-tap he abandoned in the winter and moving his hands to allow him to be less vertical through the hitting areas and better combat sliders away and fastballs up. The adjustments allowed Norby to take off. His extreme feel for hitting and high-level ability to execute his plan continued to put him in good positions to do damage, as did his acceptable strike-zone control.

Norby showed the capabilities of an above-average hitter with potentially above-average power, with his ability to drive the ball the other way and overall consistency in elevating hard contact key factors in that. (Jon Meoli - Baseball America Prospect Handbook - Spring, 2023)

More than anything, Norby stands out for his bat and his “gamer” approach. He’s quick to the ball from the right side of the plate and makes a ton of hard contact to all fields. He rarely misses a fastball, and while it’s likely going to be more extra-base authority than over-the-fence thump in the pro game, he did show the ability to hit the ball out all over the ballpark in 2021. His bat speed and strength should help him hit some home runs at the highest level. (Spring 2022)

Connor has a knack for making contact and barreling the ball in the strike zone. At this point, he can be an above-average hitter, albeit with an opposite-field approach at the moment that can limit his power. His ability to control the strike zone and recognize pitches mean he could grow to better recognize which pitches he can drive and increase his power potential. (Jon Meoli - Baseball America Prospect Handbook - Spring, 2022)

Norby's bat is his lone tool that grades as better than average. He has a disciplined approach, using a short right-handed swing to make repeated hard contact from gap to gap. After homering just twice in 44 games over his first two college seasons, he went deep nine times in his first 31 in 2021, and he possesses the bat speed and sneaky strength to provide 12-15 homers annually in pro ball. (Spring 2021)

2024 Season: The Marlins called Norby up for the first time on Aug. 19, and it didn't take him long to adjust to big league competition. He wound up setting a franchise record by racking up nine extra-base hits through his first 12 games in Miami.

Norby hit just .236 with a .732 OPS on the whole in the majors last season, leaving plenty of room for improvement.

Bowden highlighted Norby's high sweet-spot and barrel rates – plus his 94th percentile sprint speed – as reasons to believe his production can grow. Norby is a career .294 hitter with an .867 OPS in Triple-A, after all, averaging 28 home runs, 44 doubles, 107 RBI and 15 stolen bases per 162 games at that level. (Sam Connon | Jan 28, 2025 - SI)

Connor is a scrappy, nose-in-the-dirt ball player. He is not super toolsy, but evaluators say he does a lot of things well and has a 50 grade on his fielding tool. He only has a 40 grade arm.

Norby has average speed and the ability to sneak a stolen base when the opportunity presents itself. He's a fringy defender with arm strength to match at second base. Baltimore began playing him on the outfield corners the last two seasons because it had a logjam of infielders, but he profiles best as an offensive second baseman. (Spring 2024)

Norby is an aggressive baserunner, one who can steal a base despite having just average speed. He’s a capable defender at second base, where his average arm works fine and he’s athletic enough to handle left field as he did at times last year. It’s his bat, though, that put him on the fast track to Baltimore, and he should be knocking on the door soon. (BA - Spring 2023) 

Defensively, he’s a second baseman only because he doesn’t have the arm strength (45 grade) for the left side of the infield, but he looks like he has the bat to be a solid offensive-minded second baseman in the future. 

Norby has a below-average arm, but the Orioles believe he’s more athletic than the second base-only tag might indicate.

While Norby doesn't wow scouts with an array of plus tools, he doesn't have a glaring weakness and makes the most of what he has. He's an average runner with a knack for stealing and taking extra bases. His average arm limits his utility value on the left side of the diamond, but he gets the job done at second base and may hit enough to be a regular there. (Spring 2021) (Editor's note: In 2025, Norby started at third base for the Marlins.)

May 14-28, 2022: Connor was placed on the IL.

March 26-April 17, 2025: Marlins third baseman Connor Norby will be out four weeks with a Grade 1 left oblique strain.

July 12-Aug 29, 2025: Norby was on the IL with left wrist inflammation, later determined to be a broken left hamate bone.

July 16, 2025: The Marlins will be without third baseman Connor Norby for six to eight weeks after he underwent surgery on a broken left hamate bone. The procedure was performed by Dr. Donald Sheridan in Phoenix.