2025 Fantasy Baseball: Connor Norby Profile, Preview, Predictions
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A 2024 trade to the Miami Marlins should be a big win for Connor Nordy in 2025. He'll hit in a favorable part of the batting order. If Nordy controls his damage in strikeouts, his bat will help fantasy teams in five categories.
NORBY'S FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE HIT IS A HOME RUN!!! pic.twitter.com/k4MyTsWz1A
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) June 5, 2024
3B – Connor Norby, MIA (ADP – 268.4)
The Orioles selected Norby in the second round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft after flashing over short at-bats (339) in his college career (.415 with 83 runs, 17 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 24 steals). His walk rate (10.3) was an asset while striking out 13.6% of the time.
By his second minor league season, Norby reached AAA. Unfortunately, the log jam of talent on the Orioles’ major league roster led to him seeing 983 at-bats at that level over three years. He hit .294 with 189 runs, 42 home runs, 159 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. His strikeout rate (23.7) regressed from his college career while maintaining a similar walk rate (10.1).
The Marlins acquired Norby in a deal for Trevor Rogers at the trade deadline in 2024. Making contact in the majors was an issue (strikeout rate – 33.0), with a step back in his walk rate (9.3). His bat offered more success at home (.294/18/6/12/2 over 85 at-bats) than on the road (.183/14/3/8/1 over 93 at-bats).
His exit velocity (86.2) wasn’t an edge in the majors while coming in slightly higher at AAA (87.7) last season. Despite this weakness, his HR/FB rate graded well in 2022 (20.9%) and 2023 (18.5%) in the minors. Norby profiles as a drive hitter.
Fantasy Outlook: Based on the structure of the Marlins’ lineup in 2025, Norby should hit second in the batting order. He’ll have speed bumps this year, and Miami has a bottom-tier offense. His contact batting average was high in the minors (.388) and almost repeated in the majors (.383), suggesting a neutral batting average at a minimum this year with some improvement in his strikeout rate. Norby has the makings of a 20+ home run hitter in 2025 with double-digit steals. I expect his runs to rank higher than his RBI production.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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