Shushkewich: Nori shows grit at the plate in Spring Breakout Game

Outfielder Dante Nori (Toronto, Ont.) played for the Philadelphia Phillies team of prospects in their Spring Breakout Game.

March 16, 2025

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

With just a handful of games under his belt at the pro level, Dante Nori (Toronto, Ont.) is already making waves in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization.

The 2024 first-rounder was not only named to the Phillies’ Spring Breakout roster – the second annual installment of the prospect showcase that pits the best of the best against other MLB teams' prospects – but he also batted second against the Pirates’ prospects on Friday.

The Spring Breakout contests are an interesting concept, especially for ardent followers of prospects lists. You have a wide range of age groups on the teams, but all of the players are vying to reach the next rung of the minor league ladder and eventually the big leagues.

For the 20-year-old Nori, he’s still got some time to go in the minors but that didn’t stop Phillies fans from seeking out the outfielder prior to Friday’s contest. Down the left field lane, fans clamoured hoping for autographs from the various Phillies prospects and Nori’s name was frequently bellowed. Nori obliged after meeting with some family and friends for Instagram worthy photos.

Then it was back to business for Nori and his teammates, with the team facing the Pirates prospects, including starting pitcher Bubba Chandler, a right-hander who can touch triple digits with his fastball and ranks as MLB’s 15th best prospect.

Stepping into the batter’s box, the left-handed hitting Nori battled with Chandler. A low slider gave the Canadian a quick advantage but Chandler responded with two fastballs for strikes that touched 99 mph. Nori got back to work though and fouled off two outside changeups – which registered at 93 mph – before evening up the count by watching a high heater sail away. Another changeup caught the zone but Nori grounded out to second base.

For Nori’s second at-bat, he faced another tough Pirates arm in southpaw Anthony Solometo – the 14th top prospect in the Pirates’ system.

Nori got the upper hand early, watching three pitches sail in to give him a 3-0 count. But Solometo settled in, tossing a 91 mph sinker that caught the outer edge for a strike. The second sinker seemed low and was called a ball but a challenge from the Pirates saw the call overturned, making it a full count. Nori would foul off another pitch before swinging and missing on the seventh offering from Solomento to strike out.

A third at-bat would follow for Nori in the fifth inning, facing another left-hander in Hunter Barco. It turned out to be a 10-pitch affair, with Braco using all three of his offerings in the form of a mid-90s fastball, a mid-80s slider, and a mid-80s splitter against Nori.

Nori faced a 1-2 count early, but he continued to battle, fouling off three pitches while watching a splitter and a slider hit the dirt to drive the count to full on the eighth pitch. After fouling off another sinker, Braco challenged Nori with an impressive back-door slider that induced a sharply hit grounder (95.1 mph exit velocity) to second base. The speedy Nori was tossed out to finish 0-for-3 on the day.

It might not have been the result Nori was looking but it was an impressive showing for a player with just 50 professional at-bats under his belt. He faced pitchers with some considerable experience and went deep in the count on all of them. He also hustled on every play, including on the defensive side where a ball laced to the gap – the only ball hit to him that day – was brought back in quickly to limit the damage to a double.

Looking ahead, Nori is likely heading back to class-A Clearwater to see if he can improve upon his .240/.424/.280 slash line in a limited number of at-bats in 2024. If he can add some power to go with his contact approach and his plus eye at the plate, a move to High-A is definitely within reach in 2025.