Connor Norby talks about his latest chance with the Orioles

MIAMI – When a family member texted him with news that O's infielder Jorge Mateo had left a game injured, it was news to Connor Norby. He had not heard anything to that point. Soon he found out much more and that he was headed to Miami for his second stint in the majors with the Orioles.

Not happy how it happened but ready to show he can play at the big league level.

“Unfortunate, but ready to fill a spot when the team needs it,” he said pregame Thursday in the O’s clubhouse after arriving from Triple-A Norfolk.

Norby went 3-for-14 in four early June games with the Orioles. But he felt more comfortable each day and when he was sent back to the minors, he went back confident about his big league future.

“That I can play here,” he said was what he learned in that first taste of big league life. “I still think there is another level to me. As crazy as that sounds at times for me. But I think there is more in the tank. Trying to be as consistent as I can but the biggest thing here is helping us win games. The biggest thing I learned is I can play at this level.”

At Triple-A Norby was one of several top prospects hoping for their chance.

“I’ve felt prepared from this year on. We’ve got a lot of guys that are down there. We all have to kind of be a little patient. It can get frustrating, but we kind of lean on each other and just know that our time is coming,” he said.

“When our name is called, just be ready for when that time comes. We’re not bitter. We’re not feeling down on ourselves. We are still trying to get better like everyone here. That’s the goal.”

He sure has had a good Triple-A season with 16 homers and a .904 OPS in 80 Norfolk games.

But it was almost like three seasons for Norby at Norfolk this year. First there was a torrid start, eight extra-base hits and an OPS of 1.205 his first nine games of the year.

Then, for some reason, a big slump would follow. From April 9 through May 4, Norby hit .198 with a .618 OPS and with just three homers in 104 plate appearances.

“We all started off on that torrid pace,” he recalled. “And then I probably played, I will phrase it, as my worst month I’ve had at the plate in pro ball. Buck (Britton, Tides skipper) had a talk with me and he is like, ‘Dude you are still playing well, and you feel like this is the worst month.’ That was reassuring and then just been stacking ABs since. And over the last month I’ve felt I put together some of my best plate appearances and best at-bats together over this stretch. Feel like I am playing well right now.”

Even as his numbers were in decline early in the year, Norby sensed he would get his offense back on track and that early season pep talk from his skipper loomed big for him.

What exactly did it do?

“Just had belief in myself," he said. "Confidence is easy to lose, especially as a hitter. It’s fragile. You want to hold onto it as long as you can and ride out your hot stretches."

And since May 5, over 53 games, Norby has hit .315/.414/.545/.959 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs.

Some of that carried into yesterday when he hit an opposite field homer and went 2-for-4 in the Orioles' wild, 7-6 win in 10 innings at Miami.

"To go opposite field like that, that's really impressive," said manager of Brandon Hyde postgame of Norby's second career homer in his fifth MLB game. "You don't see many right-handed hitters be able to drive a ball like that. Pretty exciting when a couple of your young guys, (Colton) Cowser and Norby, go deep for you. But Norby, that was a great, great swing."

The early struggles are long gone for Norby who is looking forward to possibly regular playing time at second base after Jorge Mateo's injury.

“We worked on a few things," he said of those early struggles. "Just trying to be a little more loose in the box with my hands, my upper half. Just keeping it simple. Keeping my thoughts simple at the plate. Don’t bring five thoughts with me into the box, bring one or two and go from there."

Maybe Norby's time to get an extended look has come and he said he's ready to prove he's up for it. 

Click here for another look at Norby's homer in Miami.