Phillies’ first-round pick Dante Nori wants to ‘get to the big leagues as fast as possible’

First-round pick Dante Nori officially became a Phillie on Tuesday after putting pen to paper on a deal worth $2.5 million.

The Phillies drafted the 19-year-old outfielder with the 27th overall selection out of Northville High School in Michigan. Nori, who’s known for his speed and athleticism, hit .477 as a senior, recording 14 doubles, seven triples, and 20 stolen bases. His deal is below the $3,228,300 slot value of the pick.

On Wednesday, Brian Barber, the Phillies’ assistant general manager for amateur scouting, presented Nori with a No. 6 Phillies jersey to celebrate his contract.

“This past week, it’s kind of just coming down from cloud nine,” Nori said. “Going back to that draft day, spending it with all your friends and family, I mean, it’s something you dream of. I mean, you get that call, and just you’re on cloud nine for the whole week.”

Nori added that going into the draft, he hoped he would end up in Philadelphia — and not only because Kyle Schwarber is a longtime friend of the Nori family.

“You want to be a part of this fan base,” he said. “The welcoming I’ve gotten on social media has been nothing but great. I just want to be a part of that as soon as possible. You see the atmosphere. You see the playoff baseball. I mean, it’s everything you’ve wanted growing up.”

One of the coolest texts he has received since his signing was a message of congratulations from the Blue Jays’ Joey Votto. Dante’s father Micah, an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, had a previous stop on the Raptors’ coaching staff. While there, Micah became friends with Votto, a Toronto native, who has known Dante since he was 5.

» READ MORE: First-round pick Dante Nori has known Kyle Schwarber since he was 7 years old. Now, they’re teammates.

In the short term, the plan is for Nori to get on the field at the Phillies’ facility in Clearwater, Fla., as soon as possible. Nori is a left-handed bat who hit for average in high school, and he wants to focus on developing his power at the plate.

“To incorporate that power, [the Phillies] have helped me early on already,” Nori said. “The one time they came out to see me hit, it worked well there, so to be working with them full-time, it’s gonna be something I develop really fast.”

Since Nori hasn’t played in a game for some time, the organization’s initial focus will be on his physical readiness. Barber said that the Florida Bridge League, a training league that operates separately from the Florida Complex League between July and September, will present opportunities for Nori to get into games.

“We’re going to play at the complex, and we’re just going to see how it goes from there on out, but the idea is to try to get him playing sooner rather than later,” Barber said.

But Nori already has his sights set higher than Clearwater.

“[I want to] get to the big leagues as fast as possible,” he said. “Short term, I’m here to play. And, hey, I’m going to give it all I got, and get to help the Phillies as fast as possible.”