Marlins Rising Star Connor Norby May be Primed for Bounce-Back Season
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The Miami Marlins are built around youth. The vast majority of their roster is pre-arbitration. So, to succeed, the youngsters need to come through.
Many of them did last season as the Marlins surprisingly won 79 games. The most prominent was Kyle Stowers, who earned All-Star Game berth. But, Calvin Faucher emerged as a closer an Edward Cabrera and Eury Perez showed their ability as starters.
But not every budding young star showed out. So, for Miami to take the next step in 2026 some of those players need to bounce back. Recently, MLB.com selected a bounce-back candidate for each team and for the Marlins it selected Connor Norby.
Why Connor Norby Could Bounce Back in 2026
Norby joined the Marlins at the 2024 trade deadline, along with Stowers, in a trade that sent Trevor Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles. Both prospects were Major League ready. In 36 games with Miami, Norby had an encouraging slash of .247/.315/.445 with seven home runs and 17 RBI. He finally got consistent playing time, something he wasn’t getting in Baltimore. The expectation was that he would build on that in 2025.
That wasn’t the case. In 88 games he slashed .251/.300/.389 with eight home runs and 34 RBI. His slugging percentage came down from 2024. He hit practically the same amount of home runs he hit in 2024. He was often injured, too. He missed time with a left oblique strain, left wrist inflammation and a left quad strain.
That led the Marlins to give other players his time at third base. When Norby was on the field, his third base defense was sub-par. The Marlins have toyed with moving him to first base to minimize the defensive liability because his bat can be a tremendous asset to the lineup.
Norby proved that in the minor leagues. He had a lifetime slash of .287/.367/.497 with 73 home runs and 252 RBI. He hit 20 or more home runs in two different seasons. The power is there at a position where it’s demanded.
What the Marlins will do with Norby is muddied by the fact that they signed Christopher Morel to a one-year deal with the idea that Morel would play first base. The Marlins are assembling pieces because their corner infield spots remain unsettled. Norby can solidify one of them by boosting his offensive production, remaining healthy and improving his defense.
If he can do those three things, then the Marlins could have a bounce-back player on their hands and another young star to build their future success around.
