Breakout showing in WBC boosted the confidence of Phillies’ Dante Nori: ‘I can hang with the best in the world’

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Dante Nori heard about the compliment and knew exactly what was coming next.

Speaking about the Phillies' outfield prospect on the Fox pregame show before Italy played in the semifinal of the World Baseball Classic, Alex Rodríguez said two major-league general managers told him Nori would lead off and play every day for their teams, even though he has all of five games of double-A experience.

“This is a future star,” Rodríguez said. “Dante Nori. Do not forget the name.”

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And with that, Nori’s phone buzzed with wisecracks.

Nori’s buddies saw humor in the commentary because A-Rod co-owns the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, who employ Nori’s dad, Micah, as an assistant coach.

“People were like, ‘Let’s take that with a grain of salt,’” Nori said. “You laugh. As soon as I saw that, I was like, ‘Oh, here we go. Someone’s typing [a message]. Someone’s typing.’ I laughed about it, though.”

But at the rate Nori’s going, the notion of him knocking soon on the door to the majors is no joke.

Despite being the youngest player on an Italian roster that featured three major-league outfielders (Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone, Seattle’s Dominic Canzano, and Miami’s Jakob Marsee), Nori started all six games in left field and went 8-for-20 to grab a spot on the All-Tournament team.

It was a breakout performance for the 2024 first-round draft pick on the heels of a solid 12-game showing in the Arizona Fall League and a season in which he led Phillies minor leaguers in triples (12) and plate appearances (577) and was second in steals (52), third in hits (127), and fourth in walks (75).

Within the scouting community, opinions on Nori are mixed. One NL scout who is bullish on Nori recently suggested he has the ceiling of Johnny Damon. One who isn’t as convinced labeled him a fourth outfielder in the majors.

Regardless, a star turn in Italy’s espresso-fueled Cinderella run to the WBC’s final four in front of a sold-out crowd in Miami built Nori’s confidence that he belongs among the sport’s elite talent.

“It really did,” he said. “Nothing really sped up on me. Going in, I was like, ‘Wow, it’s going to be really different.’ In all honesty, as much as people say I’m lying, it felt normal. I’m one of those people, I found it way more cool. You hear the USA chants, the Mexico chants — the ‘Olé, Olé.’ I was looking around like ‘Dang, this is real. This is sick.’"

Nori cemented his spot in the lineup with two homers against Brazil in Italy’s opener — and took home the second ball as a souvenir because he fortuitously hit it into the bullpen. His top highlight: a 30-foot bunt on a safety squeeze that drove in a run against Mexico.

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“We were talking about it when they brought in a lefty,” Nori said. “The first swing, I didn’t see [the ball] at all. Really funky [delivery]. I was like, ‘OK, this is going to be tough.’ I looked and [manager Francisco Cervelli] put on the bunt sign, and I was like, ‘Here we go.’

“I got a big rush out of that. It’s also one of the first times I’ve ever safety squeezed.”

Nori, who qualified to play for Italy because his great-grandparents on both sides were from there, is hoping to return for the next WBC. He’s also “100% going” to Italy for the first time.

“It was like the time of your life,” Nori said. “I haven’t really settled down. I’m still in that adrenaline rush. You sit back and look what happened, and you’re like, ‘Hey, I can hang with the best in the world.’”