Liam Norris

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #29 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Well-known on the showcase circuit for years, Norris entered his senior season at Green Hope High in Cary, N.C., having shown poor command and control in the recent past. He looked much improved in the spring before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down, and the D-backs got multiple early looks at him to feel confident the progression was not a mirage. They selected him in the third round and gave him an above-slot $800,000 bonus to forgo a North Carolina commitment.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Norris has a big body he is still growing into and a clean arm action. He impressed during instructional league with both his strike-throwing and ability to repeat his delivery, though he wasn't as consistent as he needs to be. His fastball ranged from 92-96 mph, and some believe he still has the physical projection to get stronger and add more velocity. His 79-82 mph curveball has good break and depth and is a potentially average pitch, slightly ahead of his fringy slider and changeup.
  
  THE FUTURE: Norris will need to stay on top of his conditioning and show he can maintain his stuff and command over a full season. If he can, he has the weapons to stick in the rotation.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #143 prospect in 2020 draft
  Norris gained notoriety on the national stage as an underclassman when he out-pitched Luke Bartnicki in the 2018 National High School Invitational with Green Hope High in Cary, N.C. Norris and teammate Jordyn Adams helped make Green Hope the first North Carolina team to reach the championship game of the tournament. By touching 94 mph from the left side as a sophomore, Norris solidified himself as a name to know moving forward. However, Norris battled inconsistencies and prospect fatigue during the ensuing years. Last summer, Norris showed a fastball more in the 87-91 mph range with wildly erratic control. On top of his fastball, Norris has a 12-6 curveball in the mid-70s and a sharp slider in the low 80s. He has also thrown a changeup in the 82-86 mph range but lacks feel for the pitch. It was a disappointing summer for Norris thanks in part to the lofty expectations he put on himself, but he had a chance to improve his stock this spring. Scouts raved about his stuff in an early outing when he threw in the 92-96 mph range and flashed a 60-grade curveball. Teams were looking forward to running in and getting more looks at Norris, but the novel coronavirus ruined those plans. Now teams will have to wonder if he has taken the jump for good, or if Norris will still battle inconsistencies with his pure stuff. Either way, he’ll need to radically improve his bottom-of-the-scale control to have success and also maintain a large, 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame moving forward. Norris is committed to North Carolina.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Well-known on the showcase circuit for years, Norris entered his senior season at Green Hope High in Cary, N.C., having shown poor command and control in the recent past. He looked much improved in the spring before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down, and the D-backs got multiple early looks at him to feel confident the progression was not a mirage. They selected him in the third round and gave him an above-slot $800,000 bonus to forgo a North Carolina commitment.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Norris has a big body he is still growing into and a clean arm action. He impressed during instructional league with both his strike-throwing and ability to repeat his delivery, though he wasn't as consistent as he needs to be. His fastball ranged from 92-96 mph, and some believe he still has the physical projection to get stronger and add more velocity. His 79-82 mph curveball has good break and depth and is a potentially average pitch, slightly ahead of his fringy slider and changeup.
  
  THE FUTURE: Norris will need to stay on top of his conditioning and show he can maintain his stuff and command over a full season. If he can, he has the weapons to stick in the rotation.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Well-known on the showcase circuit for years, Norris entered his senior season at Green Hope High in Cary, N.C., having shown poor command and control in the recent past. He looked much improved in the spring before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down, and the D-backs got multiple early looks at him to feel confident the progression was not a mirage. They selected him in the third round and gave him an above-slot $800,000 bonus to forgo a North Carolina commitment.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Norris has a big body he is still growing into and a clean arm action. He impressed during instructional league with both his strike-throwing and ability to repeat his delivery, though he wasn't as consistent as he needs to be. His fastball ranged from 92-96 mph, and some believe he still has the physical projection to get stronger and add more velocity. His 79-82 mph curveball has good break and depth and is a potentially average pitch, slightly ahead of his fringy slider and changeup.
  
  THE FUTURE: Norris will need to stay on top of his conditioning and show he can maintain his stuff and command over a full season. If he can, he has the weapons to stick in the rotation.