The 18-year-old didn't do terribly well during his first professional campaign, hitting just .203-4-15 in 123 at-bats. His .344 on-base and .382 slugging percentages weren't very good either. He struck out 30 percent of the time while walking just 17 percent.
However, he showed good defense behind the plate, and he was promoted to the short-season New York Penn League's Vermont Lake Monsters in 2008. And there, his offensive production changed like the seasons in New England.
In just 227 at-bats, Norris batted .278-10-38, and had 11 stolen bases. He walked 63 times (an all-time Lake Monsters record) while striking out just 56 times.
He had a .463 slugging percentage, and his .444 on-base percentage led the league. He raised his rate of walks from 16 percent of his appearances in 2007 to 22 percent in 2008 while dropping his strikeout rate from 31 percent to just 24 percent.
Now look at his stats when expanded out to a 500 at bat season—the best way to contrast and compare with other players: .278—23 HR—85 RBI, 24 stolen bases, 144 walks and 128 strikeouts.
A total of 144 walks?
That's Barry Bonds territory.
Those statistics fit perfectly with his scouting report numbers from thebaseballcube.com (these are based on 100 possible points): Power: 90, Speed: 61, Contact: 26 and Patience: 100.
Wowsers. And he was a 19-year-old hitting against mostly 21 and 22-year-olds who had three or four years of college experience.
Double wowsers.
He was named last season to the Topps Rookie League All-Star Team, and Baseball America tapped him as Washington's No. 6 prospect. He was also designated as having the best plate discipline of all Nationals' prospects.
Norris' defense is solid as well. He led the New York-Penn league in throwing out base runners with a 47 percent efficiency rate. That compares favorably with former National Brian Schneider, considered one the premier defensive catchers in baseball, who threw out 50 percent of base stealers last year. Note that current Nationals’ catcher Jesus Flores, considered a solid defender, threw out just 36 percent of would-be base runners in 2008.
Norris impressed team management this past spring and was named the starting catcher for the Low-A Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League. There was a lot of pressure on the young man; it would be very difficult to duplicate his 2008 season, but if he didn't, he might find himself lingering in the low minors for quite some time.
Not to worry.
In 80 games, Norris is batting .319 with 20 home runs and 64 RBI.
Though the Nationals have yet to say anything definitive, my guess is that Derek Norris will be playing in Potomac before the end of the year, and assuming he continues to play well, will make to "AA" Harrisburg sometime next year.
Will he compete with Flores in Washington someday soon?
Interestingly, the Nationals aren't sure they are going to keep Derek as a catcher. He has shown great speed (for a catcher, "good" speed for an infielder), and there is talk of perhaps moving him to first or a corner outfield position.
If Flores continues to improve, Norris will have to move to another position if he stays with the organization. But if Jesus doesn't make it, look for Norris to be given a chance sometime in the future.
Derek Norris looks good. The kid has the talent to break that fourth-round trend of fading into obscurity. All he needs now is a little luck and a lot of desire.
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