| Paulo Orlando | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Orlando with theOmaha Storm Chasers | |||||||||||||||
| Outfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1985-11-01)November 1, 1985 (age 39) São Paulo,Brazil | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| April 9, 2015, for the Kansas City Royals | |||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||
| July 23, 2018, for the Kansas City Royals | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .263 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 14 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 81 | ||||||||||||||
| Stolen bases | 18 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Paulo Roberto Orlando (Portuguese:[ˈpawluoʁˈlɐ̃du]; born November 1, 1985) is a Brazilian former professionalbaseballoutfielder. He has previously played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theKansas City Royals. He representedBrazil at the2013 World Baseball Classic.[1]
Paulo Orlando was born inSão Paulo, Brazil. His mother is a nurse.[1] When Orlando was 12 years old, aJapanese-Brazilianphysician who worked with Orlando's mother recommended that he try his hand atbaseball, an obscure sport primarily played by the Japanese community in Brazil.[2][3] Orlando was nicknamed "gaijin" by teammates because he was one of so few players who was not of Japanese descent.[4] Because baseball fields were so few, Orlando could only play baseball on weekends.[2] He relied mostly on his speed and was not among the best players on his youth teams. However, as was typical in Brazil, most of his teammates abandoned the sport as they got older.[3]
Growing up, in addition to baseball, he playedassociation football (soccer). In his early teens, he also took uptrack and field.[1] He ran the200-meter sprint in 21 seconds and the400-meter dash in 46.36 seconds for the BrazilianYouth Olympic team.[5] In 2005, he quit track to focus on baseball; he began playing in theDominican Republic andVenezuela.[3]
Orlando was discovered and signed by a Cuban scout for theChicago White Sox in 2005.[5] He was named the fastest base runner in the White Sox system for the 2006 and 2007 seasons, as well as best defensive outfielder for the 2007 season.[6]
Orlando was traded to the Royals on August 9, 2008 in exchange for pitcherHoracio Ramírez. He led theCarolina League in triples in 2008 while playing forWinston-Salem in the White Sox system andWilmington in the Royals system.[7] In 2010 with theNorthwest Arkansas Naturals, he hit .305 with 13 homers, 64 RBI and 25 steals to earnTexas League All-Star honors.[6] There was some talk that he would be added to the Royals' 40-man roster after the season, but a poor showing in thePuerto Rican winter league left him off the roster.[8] He became the third Brazilian-born player, and first non-pitcher, to make it to Triple-A when he was promoted to theOmaha Storm Chasers to start 2011.[9] He returned to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in mid-2011 through 2012, then played for the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2013 and 2014.[6] In 2014, he was named the fastest base runner in thePacific Coast League.[6] In all, he played 1,017minor league games.[5]
After the 2014 season, Orlando was added to the Royals 40-man roster. He made the Royals opening day roster in 2015 and made his major league debut on April 9, becoming the third Brazilian-born player in MLB history.[5][10] His first major league hit, a triple offChicago White Sox pitcherJohn Danks, was also the first MLB hit for a born-and-raised Brazilian player.[10] Three days later, Orlando became the first player in MLB history to record three triples as his first three base hits.[11] On April 20, Orlando hit his fifth triple in his first seven games, establishing a new major league record for "the fewest games to hit five triples to open a career".[12]
On May 26, Orlando hit his first major league home run in a game against theNew York Yankees.[13] On July 7, Orlando hit awalk-off grand slam againstBrad Boxberger of theTampa Bay Rays in the first game of a double-header; it was his second career home run and first-ever grand slam.[14] He was optioned toOmaha Storm Chasers on July 29 to make room forBen Zobrist.[15]
He became the first Brazilian-born player to win a World Series on November 1, 2015.
Prior to the start of the 2016 season, Orlando andJarrod Dyson were considered most likely to platoon in right field, though the Royals announced plans for an open competition in spring training.[16] He ended up playing the majority of the season as the right fielder for the Royals, playing in 105 games and hitting .302 with 5 home runs and 43 RBI's.
The 2017 season was a rough one for Orlando as he struggled with inconsistency and injury, hitting just .198 in 39 games.
Orlando played in 25 games for the Royals in 2018, hitting .167/.194/.200 with no home runs and five RBI. On November 2, 2018, he was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Omaha.[17] However, he subsequently rejected the assignment and elected free agency.[18]
On January 4, 2019, Orlando signed a minor league contract with theLos Angeles Dodgers that included an invitation to spring training.[19] He hit .211 in 24 games for the Triple–AOklahoma City Dodgers.
On May 10, 2019, he was traded to theChicago White Sox.[20] In 69 games for the Triple–ACharlotte Knights, he batted .242/.299/.426 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI. Orlando was released by the White Sox organization on August 19.[21]
On March 12, 2020, Orlando signed with theSomerset Patriots of theAtlantic League of Professional Baseball. He didn't appear in a game for the club, as the season was canceled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. On July 3, 2020, Orlando's contract was purchased by theTecolotes de los Dos Laredos of theMexican League for the 2021 season. Orlando hit .250 in 11 games before being released on June 4, 2021.[22]
On June 5, 2021, Orlando signed withEl Águila de Veracruz of theMexican League.[23] In 50 games, Orlando slashed .326/.385/.460 with 6 home runs and 34 RBIs.
On August 28, 2021, Orlando was loaned to theKansas City Monarchs of theAmerican Association of Professional Baseball.[24] Orlando and the Monarchs won the 2021 American Association championship series over theFargo-Moorhead RedHawks. In 8 games he slashed .240/.333/.280 with 0 home runs and 2 RBIs.
On January 29, 2022, Orlando was returned back toEl Águila de Veracruz of theMexican League and officially signed with the team.[25] However, he was released prior to the season on April 18, after suffering an injury in spring training.[26]
Orlando was part of the Brazilian squad that won the silver medal at the2023 Pan American Games contested inSantiago,Chile in October 2023.[27][28]
Orlando and his wife Fabricia, who have a daughter and a son, live in São Paulo all-year-round, except for part of the time when he lives inOlathe, a suburb ofKansas City.[5]
On March 22, 2022, Orlando became aU.S. citizen.[29]
