Dante Nori & Phillies Prospects Racking Up Stolen Bases

While fans starving for a World Series scrutinize the Philadelphia Phillies, they’ll search for exciting storylines surrounding an organization they perceive as stale. Dave Dombrowski has emphasized the prospect pool as a source for optimism in 2026.

Dante Nori – the Phillies’ 2024 first-round pick and sixth-ranked prospect – told 97.5 The Fanatic about an emphasis of the farm system that will jump out to fans at Citizens Bank Park if and when it translates to the major league level.

Nori finished seventh in the Florida State League last season with 37 stolen bases. He racked up 52 total steals at four different levels of the minor leagues. His speed also helped him finish second in the FSL in triples and third in hits. He's now joined the Phillies in spring training in Clearwater in 2026.

Minor league baserunning instructor Gary Cathcart works on the MiLB side of the spring training complex with a long-term vision of helping the farm system produce high-quality base stealers.

While a gifted athlete like Nori will naturally progress as a baserunner, he spoke about the difference between the lower levels of his career and the instruction he's noticed at the professional level.

He’s got plenty of big league resources to draw from during his time in Clearwater. Nori sits just on the opposite side of the clubhouse from Trea Turner and Bryson Stott, who have combined to steal over 400 career bags. Veterans like J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper have supplemented their primary skill sets with over 100 stolen bases each in their respective MLB careers.

Statistical emphasis on power minimized the game’s general value on stolen bases throughout the decade of the 2010s. Rule changes in 2023, however, have turned the tides back towards a tool that used to define some big leaguers' careers in past eras.

How have the pitch clock and the limited pickoff opportunities changed the emphasis of farm systems developing baserunners?

Nori also touched on a rule change that doesn’t enter conversations with the magnitude of a pitch clock that immediately and dramatically reduced game time.

The former 27th-overall pick fixated on the importance of bigger bases for a runner sliding on a close play at second or third.

Nori hit 2/11 with one double in seven Grapefruit Leagues in February. He’ll join Team Italy, alongside Aaron Nola, with a chance to impress on an international stage at the World Baseball Classic.

Preston Mattingly rebuilt the Phillies farm system after joining the front office under Dave Dombrowski in 2021. Although the prospect pool hasn’t yet materialized in the big leagues, it’s indirectly fed the MLB roster by providing Dombrowski with legitimate trade ammo.

Baserunning is one point of emphasis that’s landed with the top tier of prospects.

Number-one prospect Aidan Miller topped the organization’s leaderboard after stealing 59 bags last season. He stole 52 in Double A and seven in a short eight-game stint to finish the season in Triple A.

Miller and Dante Nori are longshots to make the Phillies roster on Opening Day or rack up stolen bases in the big leagues in 2026. However, Justin Crawford offers even more immediate hope as the likely everyday center fielder. Baseball America ranked Crawford as the fastest baserunner in the system for the 2025 season. He stole 46 bags in 112 games for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Aroon Escobar has also climbed the organization’s prospect rankings to the fourth-overall spot. He stole 24 bases in the minor leagues last season, and he’s got runway to develop his tools before reaching the majors.

Rob Thomson praises his staff, especially Dusty Wathan and Mike Calitri, for their tireless emphasis on smaller details of the game during spring training. The coaching staff will also work with their top prospects, who were also caught stealing at a solidly high rate last season, while they're with the major league club in Clearwater.