Connor Norby 2022

[RZNJ]

12 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

I think 2023's new shift rules probably hurt Norby relative to Westburg and Ortiz in the battle for 2B reps on the Orioles by reinstating the need for 2B to fend for themselves defensively some.

OAA still loves Jonathan Schoop but watching him this week does he look anything like a platinum glove candidate?

I think the new rules actually help a 2B without a strong arm.  Not sure how they rank but I'm guessing Norby has the least amount of arm strength of the three.    In the shift like the Orioles used, Odor was playing in shallow RF.   By the time a ball would get to him he'd have to make a strong throw to get the runner.   A more traditional defense is good for a player like Norby who maybe has an average to below average arm.    Same thing for Vavra.   It makes them more viable as 2B now.     I think Ortiz and Westburg could have been 2B in either system although I have seen some doubts on Westburg's arm.

All things equal, Norby is probably behind Henderson, Westburg, and Ortiz on the defensive spectrum.   He can hit his way into 2B or he can be tried elsewhere.

 

[nvpacchi]

6 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

I think the new rules actually help a 2B without a strong arm.  Not sure how they rank but I'm guessing Norby has the least amount of arm strength of the three.    In the shift like the Orioles used, Odor was playing in shallow RF.   By the time a ball would get to him he'd have to make a strong throw to get the runner.   A more traditional defense is good for a player like Norby who maybe has an average to below average arm.    Same thing for Vavra.   It makes them more viable as 2B now.     I think Ortiz and Westburg could have been 2B in either system although I have seen some doubts on Westburg's arm.

All things equal, Norby is probably behind Henderson, Westburg, and Ortiz on the defensive spectrum.   He can hit his way into 2B or he can be tried elsewhere.

 

This regarding the defense.

I was listening to Eno Sarris's podcast today, and they got into a big discussion on how defenses may just start putting their best defenders on whichever side of the base the hitter is most likely to hit it to.  I never thought about it, but it does make sense.

So hypothetically a Henderson-Mateo-Norby 3B-SS-2B alignment could become a Norby-Henderson-Mateo setup when lefties are up, with Norby playing more in the left side of the infield hole.  Maybe this also helps Hernaiz extend his life in the infield too.

Super interesting way to think about defensive alignment, plus I'd imagine the O's would be on the forefront of something like this.

[Aristotelian]

 

[Aristotelian]

29 minutes ago, nvpacchi said:

This regarding the defense.

I was listening to Eno Sarris's podcast today, and they got into a big discussion on how defenses may just start putting their best defenders on whichever side of the base the hitter is most likely to hit it to.  I never thought about it, but it does make sense.

So hypothetically a Henderson-Mateo-Norby 3B-SS-2B alignment could become a Norby-Henderson-Mateo setup when lefties are up, with Norby playing more in the left side of the infield hole.  Maybe this also helps Hernaiz extend his life in the infield too.

Super interesting way to think about defensive alignment, plus I'd imagine the O's would be on the forefront of something like this.

That is interesting. If your SS is there because of his arm it probably makes sense to keep in there, but it is an interesting thought. I also wonder if in some situations it might make sense to stick the RF in the old shifted 2B spot. Like with 2 out and nobody on of a close game, it may not matter whether you give up a base hit or an extra base hit, so you could concede higher chance of a double or triple in exchange for higher chance of an out. 

[Just Regular]

1 hour ago, nvpacchi said:

I was listening to Eno Sarris's podcast today, and they got into a big discussion on how defenses may just start putting their best defenders on whichever side of the base the hitter is most likely to hit it to.  I never thought about it, but it does make sense.

So hypothetically a Henderson-Mateo-Norby 3B-SS-2B alignment could become a Norby-Henderson-Mateo setup when lefties are up, with Norby playing more in the left side of the infield hole.  Maybe this also helps Hernaiz extend his life in the infield too.

I thought I read in the rollout "no switching sides" (unless as part of a substitution) was part of the finagling to protect Joey Gallo's batting average.    

Good call RZNJ on the Arm thing, I hadn't thought of the angle the short RF takeaway lets the weak-armed be more playable again (along also I guess with stopping Schoop and his strong arm from making him the greatest defensive player in 2022 MLB.)

 

[Just Regular]

Here is the no side switching detail in SI's report.    I think I first saw it on an in-game MASN graphic, so a little surprised if Eno went long on the idea of a good 3B/SS and poor 2B/1B alternating.

https://www.si.com/mlb/2022/09/09/mlb-rule-changes-2023-pitch-clock-shift-ban-bigger-bases

The shift limit requires two infielders to be on either side of second and all infielders to be within the outer boundary of the infield when the pitcher is on the rubber, and infielders may not switch sides unless there is a substitution.

[nvpacchi]

32 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

Here is the no side switching detail in SI's report.    I think I first saw it on an in-game MASN graphic, so a little surprised if Eno went long on the idea of a good 3B/SS and poor 2B/1B alternating.

https://www.si.com/mlb/2022/09/09/mlb-rule-changes-2023-pitch-clock-shift-ban-bigger-bases

The shift limit requires two infielders to be on either side of second and all infielders to be within the outer boundary of the infield when the pitcher is on the rubber, and infielders may not switch sides unless there is a substitution.

Good catch! That definitely changes things for sure, and I guess it makes sense.  Otherwise we teams have such good batted ball data that the O's could then just put Mateo at the highest % chance of where a grounder was to be hit per batter.  It'd be crazy if a team did this and someone like Mateo had 70% of a team's infield GB chances.

[nvpacchi]

1 hour ago, Aristotelian said:

That is interesting. If your SS is there because of his arm it probably makes sense to keep in there, but it is an interesting thought. I also wonder if in some situations it might make sense to stick the RF in the old shifted 2B spot. Like with 2 out and nobody on of a close game, it may not matter whether you give up a base hit or an extra base hit, so you could concede higher chance of a double or triple in exchange for higher chance of an out. 

I recall @DrungoHazewoodmentioning really creative OF shifts potentially happening in another thread.

This may make a guy like Vavra more valuable if he's penciled in as the LF, and has to do pull off this type of shift.  Dunno how I feel about Austin Hays or Kyle Stowers executing a routine GB in shallow RF.  Maybe we're overthinking it, but its fun to think about nonetheless!

[ShoelesJoe]

Hit a leadoff HR in his first AB for the Tides. 

[RVAOsFan]

 

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, RVAOsFan said:

 

The other team starting a position player?

Wow that was a non-competitive pitch there.

Good job on Norby for parking it.

[Aristotelian]

9 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

At 5-10 (maybe), Norby is not the ideal size for a first baseman even if his bat suggest he can play there. Westburg however could be a guy who moves there if he's not part of a trade for pitching or a big bopper outfielder.

Maybe it is just me, from the highlight just posted he looks bigger than I remembered. Could he have filled out some? Actually looks a little big for 2B. I could see him giving Mountcastle some competition

 

[owknows]

11 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Maybe it is just me, from the highlight just posted he looks bigger than I remembered. Could he have filled out some? Actually looks a little big for 2B. I could see him giving Mountcastle some competition

 

He has an interesting swing.

Not the shape of it... just the sense that his bat goes slowly through the zone... and he's gently pushing the ball into play.

His power says it ain't so... but I've seen several of his HR swings...  and am always left with the same impression.

[ScGO's]

1 hour ago, owknows said:

He has an interesting swing.

Not the shape of it... just the sense that his bat goes slowly through the zone... and he's gently pushing the ball into play.

His power says it ain't so... but I've seen several of his HR swings...  and am always left with the same impression.

i feel like his bat is very quick, but it stays on plane so well, keeping the barrel through the zone longer. I think thats what makes it look slower than it is

[SilverRocket]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-connor-norby-swing-adjustment-rise-norfolk-20220921-xchek63x2zg4xbqdhw7mwxm44y-story.html

Quote

“Whatever you changed,” Rhodes told Norby, “go back. Get rid of it, and don’t even think twice about it.”

Last offseason, Norby altered his usual approach. The second baseman, whom the Orioles selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, sought to make a uniform swing, cutting out the variations of a toe tap and occasional leg kick he had during his time at East Carolina. So he ditched the toe tap and committed entirely to a leg kick, thinking it would add more power, too.

Instead, on his last day of spring training, he realized he “had to go back to what worked.” And over the course of this season, Norby’s efforts to reintroduce a toe tap rather than a full leg kick — as well as elevating his hands in his stance — have unlocked the power and potential that wavered when he experimented in the offseason.

Between this, and Cowser and Henderson talking about how they had to go back to being themselves, I wonder how much of the new analytics-based development is still taking effect. The swing decisions of the rookies have generally been pretty good at least.