Move to 1B Working Out for Marlins’ Connor Norby

MIAMI — Miami Marlins first baseman Connor Norby has been a jack of all trades ever since he turned pro. He was considered one of the premier second-base prospects in the Baltimore Orioles organization but also played numerous games in the outfield. 

The Marlins acquired the 25-year-old along with Kyle Stowers in a trade for Trevor Rogers in 2024 and were immediately shifted to third base, a transition he said was “not easy.”

“Learning going from second to third was extremely difficult,” Norby said. “I felt like I made a lot of good strides compared to the first month, six weeks that I had over there at the end of 2024.”

Norby posted a .924 fielding percentage during 30 games at third base in 2024 and improved to .954 through 82 games last year. He said he “worked really hard at third this spring,” knowing that he is competing for a full-time spot with a recipient of a Gold Glove as a utility fielder. He welcomed adding first base to his list of positions because the true goal is to “be in the lineup every day and putting up consistent at-bats and having my bat in the lineup.”

“I feel pretty good over there,” Norby said. “I almost treat it pretty much like second base. I just have to cover the base, and I think that’s really helped me a lot. Obviously, we have a really good second baseman, so that helps me even more. He covers a lot of ground, and the transition has been, honestly, not as bad, not as tough as I thought it would be.”

At a new position, 2026 has shaped up to be Norby’s best with a glove, turning in a .985 fielding percentage with two errors in 18 games at first base. It’s the first year that he has a positive run value (1). Norby said it’s about “being comfortable with your feet around the base,” and “knowing how our guys throw.”

“That’s more so the thing that I’m working through the most and getting as comfortable as I can,” Norby said. “But overall, I feel great.”

 The Marlins (15-16) return home for a 10-game homestand, starting with a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies.