'A dream come true': Phillies sign first-round pick Nori
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MINNEAPOLIS -- Dante Nori said last week that he could not wait to start his professional baseball career.
He will be in Clearwater, Fla., soon enough. The Phillies announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have signed Nori, whom was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2024 Draft. MLB.com’s Jim Callis reported that Nori signed for $2.5 million, which is below slot value ($3,228,300). The Phillies used some of that money to reach an agreement with second-round pick Griffin Burkholder, who was selected 63rd overall. He will also sign for $2.5 million, which is well above his slot value of $1,352,000.
“This is something I’ve dreamed of,” Nori said Wednesday. “To be with the Phillies, this is a dream come true. Going in, you wanted to be in Philadelphia and that’s exactly what happened.”
Nori spoke to MLB.com last week about being friends with Kyle Schwarber growing up. He said Wednesday that he also got a nice text from former Reds star Joey Votto.
“We’ve known him since I was five years old,” Nori said.
Nori’s father, Micah, is a longtime NBA coach. He was an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors years ago. Votto, a Toronto native, would use the Raptors’ practice facility while Nori’s dad worked there.
“Dante is a guy that we identified as a potential high pick going back to last summer,” Phillies assistant general manager of amateur scouting Brian Barber said last week. “We got to know him very well as a person. We got to know him very well as a player. We saw him play in 20-30 different games last summer. He’s a very good baseball player with good tools and an advanced bat. We just liked the total package. He’s sort of everything you’re looking for in a player.”
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“It’s going to be a grind,” Nori said about his professional baseball career. “In my mind, I’m back at the bottom of the totem pole. You were just at the top, but now you’re at the very bottom. You’ve got to work your way up. So I’m going into it with that mindset -- it’s a new chapter. I’ve got to work my butt off even harder now. Kyle tells me, ‘It’s a grind, but just keep playing. Keep playing your game.’”
Barber described Burkholder as “an elite athlete, but a good baseball player who can hit. We’ve had the opportunity to work him out. We brought him to Citizens Bank Park. It’s a pretty good show in batting practice already. The power is definitely there.”
The club also announced signings of 15 other selections from this year’s Draft: