Connor Norby

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #6 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/Medium
  
  Track Record: Norby led Division I with 102 hits in an All-America junior season at East Carolina in 2021 and signed for a slightly below-slot $1.7 million as the 41st overall pick. He led the Orioles organization with 29 home runs in 2022. He spent all of 2023 at Triple-A Norfolk and surged in the second half, ending with an .847 OPS and 22 home runs. He also made 26 starts in left field to add versatility that might help work his righthanded bat into Baltimore’s lefty-heavy lineup
  
  Scouting Report: Norby’s knack for hard contact showed 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. While not more than an average runner, Norby plays the game hard and runs the bases well. A below-average arm limits him to second base-only, and he’ll likely be fringe-average there at best. He started once a week in left field at Triple-A to add that position to his repertoire.
  
  The Future: Norby has a tricky profile as a bat-first second baseman, but the best of them enjoy fruitful careers, and he has the potential to do so for a second-division club. He might not have much left to prove at Triple-A, but considering the Orioles don’t need to add him to the 40-man roster until after the 2024 season and don’t have an obvious MLB role for him yet, he may return there in 2024.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Field: 45 | Arm: 40
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #7 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Norby was a first-team All-America selection for East Carolina in 2021 as he led Division I with 102 hits and impressed against top-level starters in the NCAA Tournament. The Orioles drafted him in the second round at No. 41 overall and signed him for $1.7 million--slightly below slot. He began 2022 at High-A Aberdeen and saw a significant burst in production in the second half, hitting 21 home runs in the high minors for an organization-leading 29 and ending the year at Triple-A Norfolk.
  
  Scouting Report: Norby's breakout 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. Defensively, Norby is limited to second base on the infield or maybe left field due to a fringe-average arm, though his actions on the dirt are fine.
  
  The Future: Bat-first second basemen are tricky propositions, but Norby's offensive profile is one that is increasingly hard to doubt at this point. He can hit enough to be a first-division regular. He will start at Triple-A Norfolk in 2023 with an eye toward pushing for a major league debut in the second half of the season.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 55. Speed: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 45.
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #12 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: A near-consensus All-American who led the NCAA with 102 hits and was the American Athletic Conference player of the year in 2021, Norby particularly impressed the Orioles with his plate appearances against Vanderbilt aces Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker in the NCAA super regional. Norby signed for slightly below slot at $1.7 million, and showed a patient, opposite-field approach in the final month of the season at Low-A Delmarva.
  
  Scouting Report: Like many of the Orioles’ 2021 draftees, Norby 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. Norby has average speed and a fringe-average arm, but the Orioles believe he’s more athletic than the second base-only tag might indicate.
  
  The Future: Norby could be a solid-average regular who sets the table at the top of a lineup or helps turn it over at the bottom. It’s possible he starts at High-A Aberdeen in 2022, putting him on track to potentially reach the majors in 2023 if he performs.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #43 prospect in 2021 draft
  Norby never got to show his hitting ability over a full 2020 season, but in 17 games he posted a .403/.439/.500 slash line. This spring, he continued right where he left off with the bat, and showed off his hitting ability, power and speed. The 5-foot-10, 187-pound second baseman has been one of the best performers in the country this spring. He hit .426/.493/.681 with 15 home runs and 18 stolen bases, while walking (31) as many times as he struck out (31) through the first 58 games of the season—and was named one of 24 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award for his efforts. Norby has punished fastballs, breaking balls and offspeed pitches, with an OPS over 1.000 against each type, according to Synergy. His numbers aren’t quite as loud against 93-plus mph velocity this spring, but he also hasn’t faced significant velocity consistently in the American Athletic Conference, so perhaps that’s nothing more than small-sample size nitpicking. While Norby isn’t the most toolsy player, he seems to do everything on the field well. He’s an average runner who has been into the low 90s on the mound in the past and has more than enough arm strength to offer some positional versatility at the next level. He’s been a savvy baserunner throughout his collegiate career, going 24-for-29 (83%) in stolen base attempts. In a down year for college hitters, Norby has excelled offensively. If he snuck into the back of the first round, it would not be surprising.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #93 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Norby was a first-team All-America selection for East Carolina in 2021 as he led Division I with 102 hits and impressed against top-level starters in the NCAA Tournament. The Orioles drafted him in the second round at No. 41 overall and signed him for $1.7 million--slightly below slot. He began 2022 at High-A Aberdeen and saw a significant burst in production in the second half, hitting 21 home runs in the high minors for an organization-leading 29 and ending the year at Triple-A Norfolk.
  
  Scouting Report: Norby's breakout 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. Defensively, Norby is limited to second base on the infield or maybe left field due to a fringe-average arm, though his actions on the dirt are fine.
  
  The Future: Bat-first second basemen are tricky propositions, but Norby's offensive profile is one that is increasingly hard to doubt at this point. He can hit enough to be a first-division regular. He will start at Triple-A Norfolk in 2023 with an eye toward pushing for a major league debut in the second half of the season.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 55. Speed: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 45.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Norby was a first-team All-America selection for East Carolina in 2021 as he led Division I with 102 hits and impressed against top-level starters in the NCAA Tournament. The Orioles drafted him in the second round at No. 41 overall and signed him for $1.7 million--slightly below slot. He began 2022 at High-A Aberdeen and saw a significant burst in production in the second half, hitting 21 home runs in the high minors for an organization-leading 29 and ending the year at Triple-A Norfolk.
  
  Scouting Report: Norby's breakout 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. Defensively, Norby is limited to second base on the infield or maybe left field due to a fringe-average arm, though his actions on the dirt are fine.
  
  The Future: Bat-first second basemen are tricky propositions, but Norby's offensive profile is one that is increasingly hard to doubt at this point. He can hit enough to be a first-division regular. He will start at Triple-A Norfolk in 2023 with an eye toward pushing for a major league debut in the second half of the season.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 55. Power: 55. Speed: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 45.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record:: A near-consensus All-American who led the NCAA with 102 hits and was the American Athletic Conference player of the year in 2021, Norby particularly impressed the Orioles with his plate appearances against Vanderbilt aces Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker in the NCAA super regional. Norby signed for slightly below slot at $1.7 million, and showed a patient, opposite-field approach in the final month of the season at Low-A Delmarva.
  
  Scouting Report: Like many of the Orioles&#39 2021 draftees, Norby 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. Norby has average speed and a fringe-average arm, but the Orioles believe he&#39s more athletic than the second base-only tag might indicate.
  
  The Future: Norby could be a solid-average regular who sets the table at the top of a lineup or helps turn it over at the bottom. It&#39s possible he starts at High-A Aberdeen in 2022, putting him on track to potentially reach the majors in 2023 if he performs.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 45. Run: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 45
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: A near-consensus All-American who led the NCAA with 102 hits and was the American Athletic Conference player of the year in 2021, Norby particularly impressed the Orioles with his plate appearances against Vanderbilt aces Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker in the NCAA super regional. Norby signed for slightly below slot at $1.7 million, and showed a patient, opposite-field approach in the final month of the season at Low-A Delmarva.
  
  Scouting Report: Like many of the Orioles’ 2021 draftees, Norby 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. Norby has average speed and a fringe-average arm, but the Orioles believe he’s more athletic than the second base-only tag might indicate.
  
  The Future: Norby could be a solid-average regular who sets the table at the top of a lineup or helps turn it over at the bottom. It’s possible he starts at High-A Aberdeen in 2022, putting him on track to potentially reach the majors in 2023 if he performs.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Norby never got to show his hitting ability over a full 2020 season, but in 17 games he posted a .403/.439/.500 slash line. This spring, he continued right where he left off with the bat, and showed off his hitting ability, power and speed. The 5-foot-10, 187-pound second baseman has been one of the best performers in the country this spring. He hit .426/.493/.681 with 15 home runs and 18 stolen bases, while walking (31) as many times as he struck out (31) through the first 58 games of the season—and was named one of 24 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award for his efforts. Norby has punished fastballs, breaking balls and offspeed pitches, with an OPS over 1.000 against each type, according to Synergy. His numbers aren't quite as loud against 93-plus mph velocity this spring, but he also hasn't faced significant velocity consistently in the American Athletic Conference, so perhaps that's nothing more than small-sample size nitpicking. While Norby isn't the most toolsy player, he seems to do everything on the field well. He's an average runner who has been into the low 90s on the mound in the past and has more than enough arm strength to offer some positional versatility at the next level. He's been a savvy baserunner throughout his collegiate career, going 24-for-29 (83%) in stolen base attempts. In a down year for college hitters, Norby has excelled offensively.