Connor Norby 2023

[RVAOsFan]

Connor Norby thread buried on page 5 while he is doing nothing but crushing the ball. I honestly kinda feel bad for the guy. He should be in the majors but isn’t even the next infielder in line to get the call. 

[glenn__davis]

I gotta think there was a part of him hoping for a trade yesterday.

[RZNJ]

He was having a nice, but disappointing year, up until July.  Now he’s hitting like he did at the end of last year.   Will Elias trade him this off season or hang on to him going into the 2024 season?   The good news is that his stock should be on the rise if he can continue the .969 July OPS pace.

[Just Regular]

Now that everyone is still here, if Jordan Westburg is a 10, what is Connor Norby?

Or, are their defensive capabilities so different they aren't in the same section of the field anymore?

Norby got about 75% of the pool dollars from Elias that Westburg did.

[ScGO's]

1 hour ago, glenn__davis said:

I gotta think there was a part of him hoping for a trade yesterday.

Disagree; I've mentioned on here before I know a baseball family with close ties to Norby here in NC. From what I heard, he wants to be in Baltimore, and is frustrated because for two years he's been made to feel like he's here to be traded. I think he has the same friendships with the other guys we've seen promoted. Baltimore and its affiliates are a decent proximity to NC which is convenient to his family. I think he wants a chance in Baltimore and believes in himself a lot

This is probably his window: If he gets unbearably hot over the next month, Cowser keeps laying eggs, Urias and Frazier remain average, and Westburg just doesn't take off from this avg holding pattern he's in, Norby may be able to force Elias' hand

[sportsfan8703]

Undervalued simply because we are so loaded and he's RH.  He's the type of player that is the reason why we can have a long window over 162 game seasons.  Depth.  

[RVAOsFan]

52 minutes ago, ScGO's said:

Disagree; I've mentioned on here before I know a baseball family with close ties to Norby here in NC. From what I heard, he wants to be in Baltimore, and is frustrated because for two years he's been made to feel like he's here to be traded. I think he has the same friendships with the other guys we've seen promoted. Baltimore and its affiliates are a decent proximity to NC which is convenient to his family. I think he wants a chance in Baltimore and believes in himself a lot

This is probably his window: If he gets unbearably hot over the next month, Cowser keeps laying eggs, Urias and Frazier remain average, and Westburg just doesn't take off from this avg holding pattern he's in, Norby may be able to force Elias' hand

ECU Alum, been following Norby for years, he is my favorite Oriole as soon as he gets the call.

[Alasdaire]

2 hours ago, glenn__davis said:

I gotta think there was a part of him hoping for a trade yesterday.

Obviously Gunnar and Jackson aren't going anywhere and they soak up two of the three non-1B infield spots. That leaves you with Ortiz/Westburg/Norby for one other starting spot. Say one of them just can't get it going in the majors even after a tryout and is a AAAA guy. Now you have two for one starting spot. Trade one or one gets injured and suddenly there's not a logjam anymore.

I think the excess people talk about is a bit overstated. It applies to guys like Hernaiz and Prieto because you have to go through several other steps to figure out a way that they have a place. But the beauty of sports is that it's a meritocracy and the cream will rise to the crop. Even the worst case for Ortiz/Westburg/Norby is still probably a utility player. If one of them can accept that role, we'll really have something special.

[Alasdaire]

1 hour ago, ScGO's said:

Disagree; I've mentioned on here before I know a baseball family with close ties to Norby here in NC. From what I heard, he wants to be in Baltimore, and is frustrated because for two years he's been made to feel like he's here to be traded. I think he has the same friendships with the other guys we've seen promoted. Baltimore and its affiliates are a decent proximity to NC which is convenient to his family. I think he wants a chance in Baltimore and believes in himself a lot

This is probably his window: If he gets unbearably hot over the next month, Cowser keeps laying eggs, Urias and Frazier remain average, and Westburg just doesn't take off from this avg holding pattern he's in, Norby may be able to force Elias' hand

Thanks for the personal insight. I feel baseball fans in particular can be pretty callous in the way they regard prospects. They're treated like commodities to be traded at the whims of the powers that be.

Part of the reason why I don't want to ship off these homegrown players for mercenary parts is because having a team composed of guys who all came up together has value in itself. It reinforces an organizational culture that is passed on to future generations of players. You saw a glimpse of that this past weekend during the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast when they were interviewing Adley, Gunnar, Colton, and Jordan as the "baby birds." There's not just a kinship between them as friends but also as products of this newfound system; they're reflecting the culture and building it at the same time. And yet, if you were to listen to people online, Cowser and Westburg would be traded at the drop of a hat for a season and a half of an "ace" pitcher who will leave after his contract is up.

Michael Pierce, the defensive tackle for the Ravens, was interviewed after training camp practice the other day. The Ravens plucked him up as an UDFA and made him into a very good NFL player. He signed with Minnesota because the salary cap limitations make it such that the Ravens can't retain all of the talent they produce, but last year he re-signed with Baltimore. They asked him about his role on the team, and he talked about how Mike MacDonald, the defensive coordinator, will regularly show them clips from throughout Ravens history of the Ravens defenders players that came before them, and all of the players feel it incumbent on them to uphold that standard. Pierce talked about how it's a tradition that has been maintained from 2000 on.

That's an example of the value that organizational culture has. Pierce was lifted out of undrafted obscurity by the standard, felt enough of a draw to it that he came back as a seasoned veteran even after the team didn't pay him the first time, and now has become a leader himself who passes it on to the next round of guys. The guys who built that standard on the Ravens weren't veterans who came in from other organizations for a season to plug a gap, it was homegrown guys. And not just the stars like Ray and Suggs but also role players like Jimmy Smith and Sam Koch who took the standard seriously. If the Orioles are ever to establish something like that, it will be from their own homegrown players and not just the superstar ones.

[LookinUp]

I really root for this guy. Always seems like the odd man out, but he’s definitely a major leaguer. Just needs the right spot.

He will make a team very happy one day. Maybe the Os.

Edited August 2, 2023 by LookinUp

[Bemorewins]

7 hours ago, glenn__davis said:

I gotta think there was a part of him hoping for a trade yesterday.

Could you blame him? He likely sees no legit shot to play here and a team who is willing to keep guys in the minors all the way into their mid-20's.

[Bemorewins]

4 hours ago, Alasdaire said:

Thanks for the personal insight. I feel baseball fans in particular can be pretty callous in the way they regard prospects. They're treated like commodities to be traded at the whims of the powers that be.

Part of the reason why I don't want to ship off these homegrown players for mercenary parts is because having a team composed of guys who all came up together has value in itself. It reinforces an organizational culture that is passed on to future generations of players. You saw a glimpse of that this past weekend during the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast when they were interviewing Adley, Gunnar, Colton, and Jordan as the "baby birds." There's not just a kinship between them as friends but also as products of this newfound system; they're reflecting the culture and building it at the same time. And yet, if you were to listen to people online, Cowser and Westburg would be traded at the drop of a hat for a season and a half of an "ace" pitcher who will leave after his contract is up.

Michael Pierce, the defensive tackle for the Ravens, was interviewed after training camp practice the other day. The Ravens plucked him up as an UDFA and made him into a very good NFL player. He signed with Minnesota because the salary cap limitations make it such that the Ravens can't retain all of the talent they produce, but last year he re-signed with Baltimore. They asked him about his role on the team, and he talked about how Mike MacDonald, the defensive coordinator, will regularly show them clips from throughout Ravens history of the Ravens defenders players that came before them, and all of the players feel it incumbent on them to uphold that standard. Pierce talked about how it's a tradition that has been maintained from 2000 on.

That's an example of the value that organizational culture has. Pierce was lifted out of undrafted obscurity by the standard, felt enough of a draw to it that he came back as a seasoned veteran even after the team didn't pay him the first time, and now has become a leader himself who passes it on to the next round of guys. The guys who built that standard on the Ravens weren't veterans who came in from other organizations for a season to plug a gap, it was homegrown guys. And not just the stars like Ray and Suggs but also role players like Jimmy Smith and Sam Koch who took the standard seriously. If the Orioles are ever to establish something like that, it will be from their own homegrown players and not just the superstar ones.

The Ravens have a winning tradition that includes being competitive for championships almost every seasons. The Orioles have a long way to go before getting there. 

IMO more than having a roster solely of homegrown guys, what will contribute to that kind of culture is consistent success that includes championships.

The 2000 Ravens were made up of a bunch of Free Agents (Shannon Sharpe, Rod Woodson, Burnett, McCrary, Qadry Ismail, Trent Dilfer, Siragusa, Adams etc.)

[Bemorewins]

4 hours ago, Alasdaire said:

Thanks for the personal insight. I feel baseball fans in particular can be pretty callous in the way they regard prospects. They're treated like commodities to be traded at the whims of the powers that be.

Part of the reason why I don't want to ship off these homegrown players for mercenary parts is because having a team composed of guys who all came up together has value in itself. It reinforces an organizational culture that is passed on to future generations of players. You saw a glimpse of that this past weekend during the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast when they were interviewing Adley, Gunnar, Colton, and Jordan as the "baby birds." There's not just a kinship between them as friends but also as products of this newfound system; they're reflecting the culture and building it at the same time. And yet, if you were to listen to people online, Cowser and Westburg would be traded at the drop of a hat for a season and a half of an "ace" pitcher who will leave after his contract is up.

Michael Pierce, the defensive tackle for the Ravens, was interviewed after training camp practice the other day. The Ravens plucked him up as an UDFA and made him into a very good NFL player. He signed with Minnesota because the salary cap limitations make it such that the Ravens can't retain all of the talent they produce, but last year he re-signed with Baltimore. They asked him about his role on the team, and he talked about how Mike MacDonald, the defensive coordinator, will regularly show them clips from throughout Ravens history of the Ravens defenders players that came before them, and all of the players feel it incumbent on them to uphold that standard. Pierce talked about how it's a tradition that has been maintained from 2000 on.

That's an example of the value that organizational culture has. Pierce was lifted out of undrafted obscurity by the standard, felt enough of a draw to it that he came back as a seasoned veteran even after the team didn't pay him the first time, and now has become a leader himself who passes it on to the next round of guys. The guys who built that standard on the Ravens weren't veterans who came in from other organizations for a season to plug a gap, it was homegrown guys. And not just the stars like Ray and Suggs but also role players like Jimmy Smith and Sam Koch who took the standard seriously. If the Orioles are ever to establish something like that, it will be from their own homegrown players and not just the superstar ones.

One last reaction to your post, IMO the biggest contributor to organizational culture (even beyond strong relationships of those within the org) is organizational leadership. I don't see how we are ever going to develop a strong culture like the Ravens with the leadership dynamic (or lack thereof) at the top of the org.

[G54377]

When he was drafted in the second round I was kinda like, "What am I missing here?" A 2B who hit 400 basically back to back years in college with developing power? Plus 18 SB in 61 games? I don't look closely at college stats but I had to figure he was at the top of the board if not leading the league in hitting both years.

[Alasdaire]

55 minutes ago, Bemorewins said:

The Ravens have a winning tradition that includes being competitive for championships almost every seasons. The Orioles have a long way to go before getting there. 

IMO more than having a roster solely of homegrown guys, what will contribute to that kind of culture is consistent success that includes championships.

The 2000 Ravens were made up of a bunch of Free Agents (Shannon Sharpe, Rod Woodson, Burnett, McCrary, Qadry Ismail, Trent Dilfer, Siragusa, Adams etc.)

Are you saying that championships precede culture? I think it’s the other way around. And either way, winning championships can’t be a solution to anything given the extreme degree of difficulty. I say build the culture and trust that the championships will come form that.

As to the Ravens, I agree that much of their success comes from the rock solid stability that they have at the top with Bisciotti/Ozzie/DeCosta/Harbaugh. But I think the value from that is they can take the long view with almost every decision they make in a way that other front offices/coaches can’t because they’re worried about their jobs. I applaud Mike Elias for taking this sort of the approach during the deadline and not giving in to the manufactured sense of urgency.

As compared to other teams now, the Ravens are amongst the teams with the highest percentage of homegrown talent every season in the NFL. I also remember seeing a statistic recently that gauged which teams produced the most talent by looking at the organization they started with and the Ravens led the league by a significant margin. That comes from stacking players in a way that looks redundant at the time in the same way that our infield depth does now. And it comes from instilling a standard that everyone is held to and adopts, which is much easier to do with guys you’ve developed from the beginning.