Connor Norby 2024

[RVAOsFan]

 

[ChuckS]

Tough to say how much the O's value Norby. In terms of pecking order, I would think the priority with the Triple A prospects is Holliday, Mayo, Kjerstad.

Not sure where they fall on Norby versus Stowers, but if these guys are both (primarily) corner OFers they could be in direct competition with each other for a spot in Baltimore. 

Is he ahead of Stowers because of his contact skills, positional flexibility, and right-handedness?

 

Edited April 3 by ChuckS

[btdart20]

Norby made a nice defensive play last night on a ball hit right at him but back to the wall.  He made it look routine.  

I'd guess it was a 90+% catch outcome, but he made it look routine.  And that's big for not being a natural LF.

If/when a decision/injury happens to Hays, Norby is ready.

[Tony-OH]

3 hours ago, btdart20 said:

Norby made a nice defensive play last night on a ball hit right at him but back to the wall.  He made it look routine.  

I'd guess it was a 90+% catch outcome, but he made it look routine.  And that's big for not being a natural LF.

If/when a decision/injury happens to Hays, Norby is ready.

I'm very happy he's getting a lot of outfield time. I hope once Holliday is promoted, they don't put him back at 2B very often. He's got the speed and arm to play outfield and the more experience he gets out there the better he's become. 

Plus, he need a lot of injuries to become a viable effort at 2B for the Orioles. I realize he may need to be showcased at some point to another team come the training deadline, if that team needs a 2B, then you play him there again (assuming Holliday is already promoted), but until then, play this man in all three outfield positions. 

While I think he's more than a Ryan McKenna, he's AT LEAST a Ryan McKenna in the big leagues if he can make himself a viable defender out there.

[Sports Guy]

 

[Tony-OH]

I posted this in the Westburg thread but thought it was appropriate to post here. Norby is not a huge EV guy. Last year he was very similar. So while he's doing well and has had success, he does not hit the ball consistently as hard as players like Westburg, Gunnar, or Cowser and is behind Mayo, Kjerstad, Holliday and many non descript Norfolk teammates. Now is he far behind? No, but it's just worth noting.

[btdart20]

1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:

I posted this in the Westburg thread but thought it was appropriate to post here. Norby is not a huge EV guy. Last year he was very similar. So while he's doing well and has had success, he does not hit the ball consistently as hard as players like Westburg, Gunnar, or Cowser and is behind Mayo, Kjerstad, Holliday and many non descript Norfolk teammates. Now is he far behind? No, but it's just worth noting.

The EV is average at best but I wasn't expecting a 90+ thumper.  But the HH% is lower than I expected.  It would be nice to know what it was last year in AAA...

I was thinking that if Norby can maintain his BB% and LD%, then he's got a good shot at replacing/improving on Hays career norms even if not the HR numbers.  The HH% could use a bump though.

[Aglets]

Kinda feel for this guy.  813 PA in AAA now at 23 years old.  Hitting well but not enough to make you go wow I guess.

I hope someone throws him a nice party when he gets to 1,000 this year.

[interloper]

4 hours ago, Aglets said:

Kinda feel for this guy.  813 PA in AAA now at 23 years old.  Hitting well but not enough to make you go wow I guess.

I hope someone throws him a nice party when he gets to 1,000 this year.

Right now I feel like he's a guy you bring up if Mateo or Urias are injured, but not to outright replace either of them while they're healthy. Same kind of deal with Stowers. 

[Warehouse]

On 5/2/2024 at 12:36 PM, Aglets said:

Kinda feel for this guy.  813 PA in AAA now at 23 years old.  Hitting well but not enough to make you go wow I guess.

I hope someone throws him a nice party when he gets to 1,000 this year.

I feel like the whole pity party for Norby is a bit much. He’s 23 and not a top 100 prospect in any of the major lists. He’s a subpar fielder limited to 2B and LF. He’s tied for 88th best hitter in AAA with a 108 wRC+. He has a 32% strikeout rate and bad Statcast peripherals. 

The Banner throws around comments about how Norby would be starting for most other teams, but I don’t think that’s true. There’s maybe a couple teams where he might be considered for a chance to start. He doesn’t need to be added to the 40 man until end of year. I don’t think the Orioles would hesitate to trade him for reasonable value, but we need to find a taker. If we can’t get back someone that could be a difference maker in the bullpen, then he might be worth more to us as depth.  

The narrative around how Norby is tragically and unfairly blocked in AAA from sure-fire MLB success due to Elias slow playing prospects and hoarding is completely overblown IMO.

[Warehouse]

Actually I had set minimum PA to 90. If you set to Qualified (~75 PAs), then he is tied for 100th best wRC+ in AAA. 

[CaptainRedbeard]

48 minutes ago, Warehouse said:

I feel like the whole pity party for Norby is a bit much. He’s 23 and not a top 100 prospect in any of the major lists. He’s a subpar fielder limited to 2B and LF. He’s tied for 88th best hitter in AAA with a 108 wRC+. He has a 32% strikeout rate and bad Statcast peripherals. 

The Banner throws around comments about how Norby would be starting for most other teams, but I don’t think that’s true. There’s maybe a couple teams where he might be considered for a chance to start. He doesn’t need to be added to the 40 man until end of year. I don’t think the Orioles would hesitate to trade him for reasonable value, but we need to find a taker. If we can’t get back someone that could be a difference maker in the bullpen, then he might be worth more to us as depth.  

The narrative around how Norby is tragically and unfairly blocked in AAA from sure-fire MLB success due to Elias slow playing prospects and hoarding is completely overblown IMO.

100%. In other franchises, Norby would be given a chance to start. And he does have some upside to be a MLB starter. But he’s not a top prospect and projects best as a bench guy, with a solid righty bat and LF/2B defensive flexibility (even if below average defense).

That bench profile actually is a good fit down the line with all the lefty prospects so Norby would eventually get that opportunity here, but while Urias and Mateo are around he’s better off in AAA. He hasn’t needed to be added to the 40-man yet and that has worked against him. If he plays better in AAA another team will be more inclined to trade for him as a potential starter. He hasn’t played well enough in AAA to force the issue. 

[interloper]

On 5/4/2024 at 9:02 AM, Warehouse said:

I feel like the whole pity party for Norby is a bit much. He’s 23 and not a top 100 prospect in any of the major lists. He’s a subpar fielder limited to 2B and LF. He’s tied for 88th best hitter in AAA with a 108 wRC+. He has a 32% strikeout rate and bad Statcast peripherals. 

The Banner throws around comments about how Norby would be starting for most other teams, but I don’t think that’s true. There’s maybe a couple teams where he might be considered for a chance to start. He doesn’t need to be added to the 40 man until end of year. I don’t think the Orioles would hesitate to trade him for reasonable value, but we need to find a taker. If we can’t get back someone that could be a difference maker in the bullpen, then he might be worth more to us as depth.  

The narrative around how Norby is tragically and unfairly blocked in AAA from sure-fire MLB success due to Elias slow playing prospects and hoarding is completely overblown IMO.

Yeah you make a good case here. I tend to agree. He's a little more Stowers-y than we think sometimes, in terms of prospect value. 

[sportsfan8703]

I don’t see how Norby could be worse than Kjerstad in COF. Therefore, with all our LHH, he will be a bench platoon player. 

Notice how our bench players are already RH because of the amount of lefties?  McCann, Mateo, Urias, and McKenna. Norby will just replace one of them next year or he an up/down guy. Having three options, being RH, being cheap, and being able to stand at COF/2B, is more valuable than what he would bring back in a trade. 

Reubilding teams want to take a shot on guys that can be everyday players. Norby is a role player for contending teams like us. 

[Tony-OH]

@Warehouse made some nice points and that's a pretty good synopsis. The only thing I would caution with this year's numbers is that he might be getting into the "bored" mode of being in AAA. It's hard doing that grind for as long as he has and see players comes and pass him by onto the majors while he was putting up good offensive numbers.

I like Norby in the outfield better than second base, but he does get a little lazy out there and will will not field a ground ball cleanly out there either sometimes. He's working on hitting cut off men and just the nuances of playing effectively out there. He's getting better in my opinion. 

It's ashamed he doesn't have the reflexes and hands to play 3B effectively because being a OF/2B/3B would give him more value and make him a potential replacement for Urias. 

Right now, I don't see what he role would be with the Orioles unless Hays and McKenna go down. Then maybe they would consider him  to come up. Other than that, it's clear they don't want him playing 2B in the big leagues in anything more than a game or two situation. 

His best bet is to go to a team like Oakland and find major league at bats. If the Orioles can ultimately pry one of those Oakland arms away, Norby and Stowers are guys that definitely should be hopeful they're in the trade.