Justin Crawford might be all the rage this spring as the Philadelphia Phillies’ center fielder of the future, but another young outfielder is making quite a case to be in the team’s plans sooner rather than later. 2024 first-round pick Dante Nori put himself on the map with an insanely hot start to the World Baseball Classic for Team Italy, looking like a future star.
A Canadian-born Michigan high school product, Nori chose to represent Italy on the world’s stage to honor his grandparents. Most observers expected the 21-year-old to be relegated to pinch-running and defensive specialist duties behind big leaguers Jakob Marsee, Dominic Canzone and Jac Caglianone, but Team Italy manager Francisco Cervelli plugged him into the starting lineup in left field for the team’s first contest.
Dante Nori's newfound power stroke could be big for his future with the Phillies
Nori rewarded Cervelli’s vote of confidence by making history at the plate, crushing a pair of homers in an 8-0 beatdown of Team Brazil, while tacking on a double and a walk for good measure. Despite not being known as a power threat, Nori etched his name in the record books as the first player in Team Italy history to homer twice in the same game.
Nori wasn’t content with just one spectacular day at the plate, as the Phillies’ seventh-ranked prospect collected another pair of hits and a walk in the team’s second game of the tournament against Great Britain. All told, Dante Nori posted a bonkers .714 batting average and 2.492 OPS across his first nine WBC plate appearances (before an 0-for-3 game with an RBI against Team USA), and has more than likely earned himself a starting role for the crucial final game of pool play.
Having only reached as high as the Double-A level for a brief five-game stint this past season, Nori is still a ways away from earning a call up to the majors with the Phillies. Across three levels in 2025, Nori slashed .261/.361/.372 in 577 total trips to the plate. Decent production, but hardly setting the world on fire at the plate.
The floor for Nori is likely that of a Johan Rojas-esque speed and defense-oriented fourth outfielder. That may not be welcome news to Phillies fans, but thankfully his ceiling is quite a bit higher. Nori draws plenty of walks and should hit for a decent enough average, allowing him to give opponents fits on the basepaths with his blazing speed. Even better than that, if the surprising power he’s showcased at the WBC is real, he could be a truly dynamic talent moving forward.