WEST PALM BEACH — Connor Norby joked after Friday’s game that he felt “like a wild horse that they let run free.” It was the 25-year-old’s first game in the outfield as a Miami Marlin, an experiment the team is trying out in order to keep Norby’s bat in the lineup.
Norby, a full-time third baseman since arriving in Miami in 2024, has been lackluster in that spot. In each of his last two seasons, he recorded five outs below average at the hot corner, according to Baseball Savant.
On Friday against the Houston Astros, he caught all three fly balls hit to him, including one off Jose Altuve on the first at-bat of the game.
“You kind of just let your athleticism take over a little bit, and it also helps when you have (center fielder Jakob Marsee) covering your back too,” Norby said.
It’s that increased freedom of movement that has seemingly injected some life into an already-enthusiastic Norby.
“I’ve had maybe two or three days out there, and I’ve loved every day so far,” Norby said. “I treat it like recess, almost.”
Norby, who was traded from the Baltimore Orioles at the 2024 trade deadline, last played the outfield in 2024 while with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides. He played 77 games between left and right field in 2023 and 2024.
Norby’s primary position used to be second base, and he had never played third until he joined the Marlins organization. He has also played two games at first base this spring.
Despite the struggles at third base and the willingness to play the outfield, Norby maintains he feels most comfortable at third.
“I feel great at third,” Norby said. “I feel like my feet are really good right now…I feel like last year, I made really good strides in learning the position and getting better with it. And that’s the goal, is to be better there. We have a really good defensive team, especially a defensive infield, and I gotta do my part as well.”
Notes
-Kyle Stowers left the game in the fourth inning with right hamstring tightness. He missed games earlier in spring with a Grade 1 strain of that same hamstring.
-Eury Pérez allowed two runs and four hits in five innings against a Houston Astros lineup that featured most of their starters.
-Dillon Lewis hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning.