No. 12 prospect homers in four-hit game

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Norby homers in four-hit night (Sept. 28)
Connor Norby wrapped up the year by matching a season high.

Baltimore's No. 12 prospect put on a hitting clinic, collecting four knocks in Triple-A Norfolk's 5-3 loss to Jacksonville.

The second-round (41st overall) selection in the 2021 Draft began the game with a single to left field in the first inning. The 22-year-old, who started 2022 with High-A Aberdeen, launched his fourth homer with the Tides on a go-ahead two-run blast to left-center in the second. That jack was his 29th of the year. He singled twice more on the night, in the fourth and the ninth, ending the game 4-for-5.

Norby slashed .359/.405/.718 in nine games at Triple-A, and he batted .279 with 133 hits and 73 RBIs over his second professional season. -- Ethan Sands

Norby hits 28th homer, moves back into org lead (Sept. 24)
When you're hot, you're hot. For Connor Norby, that means the balls off his bat are finding any way to get out of the ballpark.

The No. 12 Orioles prospect appeared to have a leadoff triple off the wall in the first inning of Triple-A Norfolk's eventual 10-4 loss to Durham, but Norby's play as of late earned him the extra few feet. After the umpires deliberated for a moment, it was ruled to be a home run, the second baseman's 28th of the season between three levels.

Norby's first week at Triple-A couldn't be going any better. In five games with the Tides, the 22-year-old is hitting .391 with three home runs and a double. His 28th dinger broke a tie with teammate Jordan Westburg for the most among Orioles Minor Leaguers this season, ahead of higher-ranked Baltimore prospects like Gunnar Henderson (No. 1), Westburg (No. 5) and Coby Mayo (No. 7). -- Jacob Resnick

Norby keeps showcasing productive bat (Sept. 21)
Connor Norby's new lucky number has become three.

The No. 12 Orioles prospect had his second straight three-hit game and his fifth multihit game of the week as he went 3-for-6 with one homer and three RBIs in Triple-A Norfolk’s 13-9 win over Durham.

The 22-year-old was a run-producing machine, hitting an RBI single to center field in the third inning. Norby capped it off by showing his power, crushing a two-run long ball to right field in the fourth inning.

The second baseman’s productive night brought his long ball tally to 27 and improved his slash line to .278/.360/.523 between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. -- Edwin Perez

Norby's torrid time at Bowie earns Triple-A promotion (Sept. 20)
Connor Norby is going to be just fine at Triple-A.

The Orioles No. 12 prospect homered on the first pitch he saw for Triple-A Norfolk after being promoted to the level just hours earlier amid what's been a strong year. The long ball was Norby's 26th of the season, tying new teammate Jordan Westburg (No. 5 prospect) for the lead on the O's farm.

The promotion adds another promising young prospect to the highest level of the Minors, as well as gives Norby more game action before the close of the year; Double-A Bowie's season is over after narrowly missing out on a postseason bid, while Norfolk's slate doesn't end until Sept. 28.

In Norfolk, Norby joins a talented with fellow top prospects in Westburg at third base and Joey Ortiz (No. 18) at short, as well as a roster with right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (No. 2) and outfielder Colton Cowser (No. 4). In all, seven of Baltimore's top 12 prospects are either in the Majors or at Triple-A, a group that doesn't include Adley Rutschman and Kyle Bradish.

For Norby, 22, the Orioles' second-round Draft pick in 2021, his ascension this year started with High-A Aberdeen. Ever since, he's blasted off for a .272/.356/.509 slash line (.865 OPS) across 112 games for Bowie and Aberdeen, numbers that blossomed as he climbed levels -- which the Orioles hope will continue as he climbs yet again -- and are already doing so. -- Zachary Silver

Westburg stays red-hot with 5-for-5 performance (Sept. 16)
Jordan Westburg isn’t just knocking at the door for a potential callup, he’s practically kicking it in.

The Orioles’ No. 5 prospect continued his red-hot play with Triple-A Norfolk, blasting a home run in his third straight contest as part of a 5-for-5 performance. Westburg, MLB Pipeline’s No. 80 prospect, drove in three with a two-run homer in the fourth and an RBI single in the second.

Other than the homer, all four of his hits were singles. His big day helped back Orioles No. 2 prospect Grayson Rodriguez, who tossed five innings of two-hit ball for his first Triple-A win since returning from injury earlier in the month. Full story »

Mayo notches career-high six RBIs (Sept. 15)
Coby Mayo had one of the best offensive showcases of his young career.

In Double-A Bowie's 10-1 win over Akron, Baltimore's No. 7 prospect was an RBI machine.

The fourth-round (103rd overall) selection in the 2020 Draft began the night with an RBI single to left field in the third inning. He followed that in a big way with his first pro grand slam to left in the fourth, marking his fifth homer with the Baysox. In just four innings and back-to-back at-bats, Mayo had matched his career-high RBI total, but he wasn't done. A sac fly to left in the eighth surpassed his previous record, tallying his sixth RBI of the game.

The 20-year-old is in just his second professional season and is rising through the Orioles' farm system after being promoted to Double-A on June 28. He's hammered 19 homers during 2022. -- Ethan Sands

Westburg smashes 15th Triple-A homer (Sept. 14)
Jordan Westburg is inching closer to joining the cluster of rookies in the Orioles clubhouse.

After beginning the season with Double-A Bowie, Baltimore's No. 5 prospect is proving that he can play at the next level with his performances with Triple-A Norfolk.

His most recent showcase came in the Tides' 13-11 win over Charlotte. The 23-year-old began the night with a leadoff double to left field on the first pitch he saw in the first inning and scored on a wild pitch. He walked in the second and singled to center in the fourth before stealing second. Westburg's power was on display in the fifth when he blasted a solo shot to left-center for his 15th homer at Triple-A and 24th of the season. -- Ethan Sands

Westburg stays hot with three hits, two doubles (Sept. 8)
Having seen his fellow Orioles prospects reach the Majors, Jordan Westburg is making his own case.

Baltimore's No. 5 prospect doubled twice, singled and drove in a run to lead Triple-A Norfolk to a doubleheader sweep over Memphis, 5-0, at AutoZone Park. Westburg had a single in four at-bats in the opener and is 9-for-22 (.409) during a six-game hitting streak.

Westburg is coming off an up-and-down August. Despite hitting just .221, he went deep six times and drove in 21 runs. The 23-year-old has picked things up in September to improve his slash line to .259/.350/.493 with 61 extra-base hits, 23 homers and 91 RBIs in 120 games. -- Michael Avallone

Holliday notches first career three-hit game (Sept. 7)
Have yourself a day, Jackson Holliday.

The top pick in the 2022 Draft broke out in a big way, tallying three hits in a game for the first time in his young career for Single-A Delmarva. The Orioles’ No. 3 prospect doubled twice, giving him four extra-base hits in 10 games with the Shorebirds. He also walked and tallied his ninth RBI of the year.

Holliday has been a solid contributor since arriving in Delmarva on Aug. 25, hitting .263 with a .785 OPS. In his first taste of pro ball, MLB Pipeline's No. 14 overall prospect is hitting .317 with six extra-base hits and 20 walks across 18 games.

His efforts weren’t enough to lift Delmarva to victory, though, as it lost to Down East, 4-2. Holliday had the lone RBI and extra-base hits in the contest for his squad. -- Nicholas Aguilera