After a dominant WBC performance with Italy, Dante Nori is making everyone in baseball pay attention
Dante Nori entered the WBC semifinal against Venezuela on Monday night hitting .438 with a 1.349 OPS, two home runs, five RBIs, and a stolen base over five games for Team Italy.
Alex Rodriguez was on the FOX pregame show and did not hold back, sharing that two general managers told him they wished Nori played for their team so they could put him at the top of their lineup every single day.
Alex Rodriguez on Dante Nori:
Worth noting that Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are the controlling owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dante Nori is the son of Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori, so maybe we’ll take that quote with a grain of salt, but the numbers definitely held up to the hype in the World Baseball Classic.
Dante Nori stole 52 bases in 2025, and was Philadelphia’s first-round pick in the 2024 draft. Coming into this tournament there was no guarantee he would even start.
His minor league numbers were solid but unspectacular, a .732 OPS across three levels, and Italy had legitimate big leaguers in Jakob Marsee, Dominic Canzone, and Jac Caglianone ahead of him on the depth chart. Italian manager Francisco Cervelli started him in every game anyway and Nori rewarded that trust in a way nobody anticipated.
Phillies prospect Dante Nori makes WBC history for Team Italy >>
Seven hits in 20 plate appearances. Two homers. A double. Two walks. A stolen base. A 1.349 OPS that ranks third on a Team Italy squad that was one of the best stories in the entire tournament.
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports addressed the situation on The Phillies Show and laid out the reality clearly. The WBC performance opens up multiple avenues. The Phillies currently have Justin Crawford penciled in as the starting center fielder, with Adolis García in right and a Brandon Marsh and Otto Kemp platoon in left.
That is not exactly an inspiring outfield picture. Dante Nori changes the depth conversation entirely if this performance is real.
Jim Salisbury on Dante Nori:
“They’ve got two centerfielders. Is Nori a guy that they could use in a trade if they have a big need at mid-season? Maybe. But maybe he’s also a guy that all of a sudden now you’re looking at two guys in that outfield in the coming years. Two exciting talents.”
Obviously, Crawford is the top-100 prospect who is staking his claim to a starting job this season. The thinking had been that Nori’s time would come in a year or two but obviously, when you grab that much attention at the World Baseball Classic, things tend to change quickly.
If what Dante Nori is doing right now at the WBC carries over to Double-A Reading this Spring, the Phillies are going to have a genuine decision to make a lot sooner than they expected.
Of course, that is a good problem to have. The outfield depth situation in this organization has been a legitimate concern heading into the season and Dane Nori just gave the front office an option nobody was counting on four weeks ago.
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