The Marlins haven’t finished higher than third in the NL East over the past five seasons, but they come into next year with optimism in the starting lineup. Kyle Stowers broke out last year, while Jakob Marsee excelled in his first taste of big league action, solidifying the outfield group. Agustin Ramirez finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting and provided thump at catcher and DH. Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez formed a high-contact middle infield combo.
Finding production at the corners has been more of a challenge, particularly first base, but Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout of Fish on First provided a new candidate there. A source told the duo that Connor Norby could see time at first base moving forward. The infielder has mostly played third base in the big leagues, along with a handful of appearances at second base. Norby spent time in left field and right field while in Baltimore’s minor league system, but hasn’t played outfield in the majors.
Miami had seven different players get reps at the position in 2025. The group scuffled to a .663 OPS, which ranked 27th in the league. Eric Wagaman led the way with 392 plate appearances at first base. He managed an uninspiring 85 wRC+ last year. Troy Johnston was the most effective Marlin when playing first base, posting a .972 OPS in 42 plate appearances, but he was claimed off waivers by the Rockies earlier this month. The top options at the position are currently Wagaman and Graham Pauley, with Liam Hicks potentially factoring in when he isn’t catching.
Norby enters 2026 as the leading choice to play third base, where he made 77 starts last season, though defensive shortcomings could necessitate a move across the diamond. The 25-year-old managed grades of -5 Defensive Runs Saved and -4 Outs Above Average at the hot corner in 2025. He posted -6 OAA between second base and third base in 2024. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald previously reported Norby was likely to battle Pauley for the third base spot if the club didn’t make any free agent additions at the position. Pauley graded out much better defensively last year, with three DRS and six OAA.
Norby seemed like he would out-hit his defensive limitations after coming over from the Orioles in a midseason trade in 2024. He slashed a respectable .247/.315/.445 with seven home runs and three steals in 36 games with the Marlins. Norby struck out at a lofty rate (32.1%), but produced enough at the plate to stomach the struggles in the field.
The 2025 campaign did not go so well for Norby. While he did trim his strikeout rate to 26.7%, he failed to replicate the power he showed with both the Marlins and Orioles. Norby’s ISO tumbled to .138, and his SLG fell by 56 points. After hitting nine home runs in 45 games in 2024, he left the yard just eight times over 88 games last season. There’s a chance injuries could’ve sapped Norby’s power. He missed the start of the year with an oblique strain, dealt with a wrist issue in July, and hit the IL with a quad strain in September.
Stowers’ emergence as a big-time slugger has already made the Trevor Rogers trade worth it (though the left-hander had a nice resurgence himself), but getting something from Norby would make the deal a big win for Miami. The club could also opt for a more reliable option at first base through free agency. They’re unlikely to shop in the top tier of the position, but the bargain bin includes some reliable veterans. A reunion with Josh Bell or Donovan Solano could make sense.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr, Imagn Images
Who.
Why even waste our time with a comment like this? If you don’t know who Connor Norby is, how on Earth did you end up here at MLTBTR?
Holycowdude, it wasn’t a question.
If the response “who” wasn’t a question, then what was it?
@why. Asking who is definitely a question. Next question do you have disability if that’s a yes. I’ll leave you alone and give you a participation trophy.
If it were question there would be mark. Without mark no question. Like Rastah say no woman no cry
Sounds like someone needs a nappy nap. Or maybe is irregular. Try some Metumucil. They have different flavors. Try Tang orange
Abbott and Costello
Thanks Lefty.
Sailed right over this head
Ethan Norbys brother
What is on Second???
I don’t know.
I think he’s on 3rd base.
Norby at 5’10 playing 1B? With him and Hicks, why are we determined to put in a short 1B?
Josh Naylor is 5’11. I’ll bet Norby’s vertical is stronger than his.
Carlos Santana was short also. Ended up being a pretty good defender. Being 6’4 definitely is a 1B requirement.
I think it’s safe to say that Santana is a lot more preferred at DH.
Naylor is a rarety in ability…and he’s still taller than Norby.
Additionally of note, Norby has showed hands of stone at the other positions. If he brings that to 1B, and at 5’10, he’s going to hurt big time.
Santana’s been an above average 1B defensively for most of his career so I have to completely disagree with you there.
Norby has looked bad at every position on the field so I’m not going to disagree with you that he may not work at 1B. The O’s tried to find a position he could play passably and that never really materialized.
Hard to imagine where Norby fits. A klunky fielding RHH who barely makes a dent against same sided arms but who even does worse against left handers (.739/.628), yikes and a shorty pants to boot. Hard pass.
He only has 1 season of PA’s combined in his career. This will be the make it or break it year from him. His defense has always made it tough for him to be a regular unless he really hits though.
I’d bet he settles in as a part time player utility player that doesn’t really field well anywhere.
Norby is a passable 2B, and that’s pretty much it. Can fake it at 3rd every now and then, but not a starter. If he can live up to the offensive expectations (say .250/.320/.450-ish with 15~20HRs) then maybe teams can overlook his defensive flaws.
Santana won a gold glove at age 38.
Matt stairs and Bryce Harper also lack height
Seems like those stairs need a booster seat
B-REF has Harper listed at 6’2” . Maybe he’s lacking if he were in the frontcourt for Sixers.
@Jswag
Stairs was a DH that stood at 1B at times. Saying he “played it” is a bit of stretch. It was like Jose Offerman “playing SS”.
And Harper, as pointed out already, is 6’2.
He “played” the gangsters moll in Guys and Dolls tho. We laughed. We cried. Better than Cats
It would be interesting to see data on how often 1B have to fully reach sideways or up for a ball, vs how often they have to dig the ball out of the dirt
Norby was always an all bat prospect. I think his K issues are going to knock him out of the full time regular box but I understand why you’d try him at 1B.
Para mí Los Marlins deben tener como prioridad conseguir un Catcher ( Realmuto, Heim, Jansen ) y mover a Ramírez 100% a DH. Ramírez fue el peor Catcher defensivo.
Pongo en 3B Sanoja, OF Marsee, Stowers y Hernández, SS López, 2B Edwards, 1B (UT) Wagaman, Norby, Johnston, Hicks. Otra opción para 1B sería una opción barata Nathaniel Lowe pero es solo una opción.
El segundo paso es un cerrador. Si no hay mucho dinero están Finnegan o Fairbanks.
Si
Lowe makes sense for Miami.
Mack arrives in May/June, Ramírez to DH there, Hicks will be the backup. They don’t looking for a catcher.
1B (Lowe, O’Hearn or Contreras), Edwards, López and Pauley in the infield; Conine, Marsee and Stowers at the outfield. (Johnston went away to Colorado).
For the relief pitchers, I think that we’re going to have to be patient…
A finales de abril o principios de mayo (esto por manipulación de tiempo de servicio), el prospecto Joe Mack estará llegando a las ligas mayores. Mack es un excelente receptor que puede batear por promedio y manejar bien un staff de lanzadores. Es por esto que conseguir un catcher no es prioridad.
Sin embargo, la 1B y 3B del equipo produjo bastante por debajo del promedio el año pasado y no hay un prospecto listo para debutar en Miami. El más cercano es De Los Santos y todavía se poncha mucho en AAA. Es por esto que esas dos posiciones son prioridad.
Lo que sorprende es la terquedad de los entrenadores para decidir una vez y por todas que Ramírez no es un catcher, y ya han dicho públicamente que va a volver a ser el receptor titular el año que viene. Ramírez debería estar practicando la primera base, y solo jugar de receptor cuando sea estrictamente necesario.
Después de la 1B y/o la 3B, el rol de cerrador es la otra prioridad. La organización ya ha dicho que traerán un jugador de la agencia libre.
Troy Johnston fue reclamado por los Rockies en waivers hace varias semanas.
Yo queiro Taco Bell
Free agent 1B guys who might be moderately priced but useful would include Josh Bell and Nathaniel Lowe. Both can hit near .250 with 20 HRs with full time play.
How about Arraez? Will definitely cost more than those two. He performed well there in the past
Orioles have a guy named Mountcastle you can have for first base just need a pitcher in return
Mountcastle probably won’t command any sort of proven major leaguer after last season, but he seems like the type that would benefit from a coaching change. He consistently posts well above average EVs and hard hit rates. Combined with a strong glove, there’s definitely potential for a 4 win player. Someone should be willing to take a flyer.
Ryan Mountcastle doesn’t walk and he doesn’t have major pop. He can be an above average regular but there’s no 4WAR player. I think his absolute ceiling is about a 3 WAR guy.
The Marlins would prefer a guy like Mayo but you guys want Sandy and that’s not happening. Weathers and Bender for Mayo and a throw-in makes sense, using the Stowers + Norby for Rogers as reference. Don’t say you got fleeced because you didn’t… Rogers pitched like an ace last year and it’s not Miami’s fault that you didn’t give Stowers an extended chance.
The obvious solution would be to sign Nate Lowe.
However, if the Marlins are trying to find an internal option, they would be better off resigning Wagaman. There was at least some glacial improvement in his defense and the bat came to life in August and September.
By contrast, Norby has shown virtually zero signs of growth. The defense is poor and he doesn’t make hard contact or walk enough to compensate.
There’s probably zero trade value, but if Norby can be flipped for a lottery ticket type prospect they should do it and move on. The team is reluctant to give up on a youngster acquired via trade so soon, we all get it. That still doesn’t negate the fact that Baltimore’s FO was willing to include him in the Rogers deal because they were well aware of his various shortcomings.
There should be at least five teams that can be interested in Norby, being the Pirates and Angels potential good fits. But the Marlins will give Norby another chance to prove himself, I think they will wait until midseason and then move on if he doesn’t pan out.
Wagaman is still on the 40-man roster, but he now projects more as a bench player. He played the entire year and never came around, even with those “signs of life” in August-September.
The Fish is ready to compete. It’s time to stop trying players and play the good ones: they should bring a 1B, a 3B, and a closer all together from free agency or trades. That should be enough to compete next season.
An OPS of .868 in August and .754 in September tell you Wagaman’s bat clearly came to life post-ASG. This is strictly a relative defense of him vis a vis Norby.
Regarding Norby, his entire approach at the plate needs to be reworked. His strategy is to swing aggressively at strikes, develop dead pull power and somehow learn to draw walks. That is incoherent and self-defeating. A better approach would be learning to work the count and using all of the field since his EVs are still below league average.
Maybe he can work his way into a fringe average defender. In 2025 he moved to a tougher position at third and registered the same -5 DRS in over twice as many innings as 2025.
He’s a worthwhile development project for another team, which is to say he simply isn’t starter material at the moment.
About Norby: I agree. And the Marlins should be in contending-now mode so if he doesn’t pick his bat up, they might be showing him the door by the trade deadline next season. A short-ish leash.
About Wags: You can’t give this guy many more chances because he had one good month during the entire season (he hit ZERO HRs in 20 games in September) I’m not saying he’s not valuable, but he is far from a starter in a contender. As of today, he is a bench player at most.
If they don’t bring a 1B via free agency or trade, they should teach Ramírez the position, and he already played 22 games there in 2024. Enough of Wags as a starter.
Norby was the defensive liability out of he and Ortiz. Obviously Ortiz went to Milwaukee but Ortiz was always the better defender.
If Norby can work on cutting down his K rate, I think Miami wouldn’t mind running him out to 1B often
I bet he is glad his parents didn’t name him Gorby…
Gorby Norby.
Nobody names their kid Gorby. You must be thinking of Gorbachev. His nickname was Gorby but that’s a last name not a first name. Maybe you’re thinking of Gordon. But I’ve never heard of Gordy really. So not sure what you’re on about. Just my 5 cents.
Or Jorby
I have a cousin named Plorby.
Real name or nick name?
That’s crazy. This guy went to the same high school as Xavier Isaac who was written about earlier today.
That’s crazy. This guy dated the same woman in middle school at the same time as Xavier Isaac who was written about earlier today. Went on a double date not realizing the same lady would go to the ladies room and change colored wigs not realizing it was the same lady. Same lady different wigs. One moment Jackie. The second insists she is Gwendolyn. Awk-ward
Good luck they have a better shot at winning the World Series before they do the division. Hahaha
I see your Mar, raise you 20.
Wow, must be a really slow MLB day when the main topic of this article is a discussion over whether a MLB player with the household name of Connor Corby with a whole 133 games of experience and so-called average stats that come along with his vase experience, can and will take over first base for Miami…..click bait for sure….come on guys there must be something better to write about…
How dare a site that writes about baseball…write about a baseball player. It’s a weekend in late November, ain’t nothing else going on.