Together again, Stowers and Norby spurring each other to be better

MIAMI -- As soon as Connor Norby walked into the Marlins’ clubhouse at loanDepot park on Monday and saw Kyle Stowers, he had just one thing to say: “‘You're gonna start raking again now that I'm here, right?’”

Well, “raking” might have been an exaggeration, but Stowers did seem to get a boost from having a familiar face in the clubhouse again -- or it could have been all the work he’s been putting in with hitting coach John Mabry. The outfielder, who entered the night with a .182 average in 35 games between the Orioles and the Marlins, went 3-for-4 in the series-opening 9-6 loss to the D-backs. It was his first three-hit performance since May 27 with Baltimore.

“First and foremost, wish we would have gotten a win tonight, you know?” Stowers said. “I think we're playing competitive baseball. I think we're in these games, scoring runs early, and we have the ability to hang with these teams. But, yeah I mean, obviously I'd be lying to you if I said it wasn’t nice to have a good game.”

Norby, meanwhile, went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a pair of fielder’s choices in his debut with the team. More importantly, though, it was just the eighth game at third base for the Marlins’ No. 3 prospect since his freshman year at East Carolina in 2019, with those other seven appearances all coming at Triple-A Jacksonville this year.

Miami acquired Stowers and Norby from Baltimore at the Trade Deadline in the deal that sent Trevor Rogers to the Orioles. At the time, Norby was in the Majors and Stowers was at Triple-A Norfolk. But the Marlins had a plan for Norby -- one that required him to get some reps in the Minors before being called up -- and an immediate need for Stowers in the big leagues after trading away center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and left fielder Bryan De La Cruz.

So, Norby was sent to Jacksonville to get used to the hot corner. He put his head down and got to work, determined to get back to the Majors as soon as possible.

Of course, in Norby’s first inning with the Marlins, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a ball right at him at third base. Norby fielded it like a seasoned pro and threw to first base for the out as if it was routine muscle memory.

“You knew he was going to get a ground ball in the first inning,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “That's a given, that's just how baseball works. But yeah, he made all the plays.

“His baseball IQ is really high. You can see how he goes about his business on the field. His at-bats, I thought, were good, and his baserunning was good. He's just a good overall all-around baseball player. I'm really excited to watch him the next six weeks and continue to watch him grow here.”

Meanwhile, Stowers was having a slow start with his new club. In 19 games with Baltimore this year, he hit .306 with four doubles and a home run. Entering Monday, he was batting .096 (5-for-52) in 16 games with Miami. In the blink of an eye -- or, in one game -- Stowers almost doubled his hit total with his new club and, in the process, gave himself some reassurance.

So, what made the difference?

“Connor being here,” Stowers said. “No, I’m teasing. … I've been working my butt off with [Mabry] and trying to plug any holes in my swing and continuing to also further my strengths and not trying to … spend so much time covering weaknesses that I'm leaving behind what I do well.

“Settling in with the guys has been great. I think it's been -- it's been great from Day One, to be honest. The staff and the team have taken me in really well. Guys have been really good to me, really assuring, and so you know, just day by day, getting more comfortable, too.”

Part of that comfort can absolutely come from having a friendly face in the clubhouse, though. While, obviously, Stowers’ breakout wasn’t Norby’s doing, it could have helped to have not only someone familiar but also someone with whom to share the lessons from the Marlins’ staff.

Plus, Stowers truly has been putting in the work, and his coaches and manager are noticing.

“You can say because he got three hits, you see it translating,” Schumaker said. “But I think you can see it just by [how] his BP is better, the early work is better. You can tell that what Mabry and the guys are trying to get through to him, he's digesting. It just takes a little time. This is not an overnight fix. Swinging, little swing adjustments are big adjustments at the big league level, and he's doing really good. He’s a smart [hitter], he’s trying to figure it out.”