The Story of Paulo “Triplo” Orlando

Baseball truly is a global game, with 265 players from outside the United States at the start of last season. However, the country of Brazil has only produced eight big league players, with lackluster degrees of success. The most successful of the bunch is former All-Star catcher Yan Gomes, who put up very good numbers during his 13-year career. However, we’re here to talk about the second best. That player is Paulo Orlando.  

Paulo Roberto Orlando was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on November 1st, 1985. Paulo didn’t discover baseball until he was 12, when his mother’s physician told him to try it. Baseball is an obscure sport in Brazil, played mostly by Japanese Brazilians, and Paulo was one of the very few players who weren’t of Japanese descent. Orlando only played baseball on the weekends, as there are very few baseball fields in Brazil; he played other sports like track and soccer. He quit track at 20 and decided to pursue baseball full-time, moving to the Dominican Republic and eventually to Venezuela.  

There, he was quickly discovered by a Cuban scout for the White Sox and signed to the organization shortly after. What separated Orlando from the rest was his speed, despite his running form looking a bit off. He was named the fastest base runner in the White Sox system during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, as well as the best defensive outfielder in 2007. But then something happened to Orlando that altered the course of his career.

On August 9, 2008, Orlando was traded to the Royals for pitcher Horacio Ramirez. Orlando would make an immediate impact in Single-A, leading the league in triples that season. Two years later, now with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, he hit .305 with 13 homers, 64 RBI, and 25 steals to earn Texas League All-Star honors. In 2011, he became just the third Brazilian-born player, and the first non-pitcher, to make it to Triple-A when he was promoted to Omaha. He would spend time between Double-A and Triple-A over the next three seasons until finally breaking through to the big leagues in 2015 after he played 1,017 minor league games.  

Orlando would make the Opening Day roster and made his debut on April 9, becoming the third Brazilian-born player in MLB history. His first big league hit was a triple off John Danks, which was the first hit by a born-and-raised Brazilian player. Three days later, he would hit two more triples, becoming the first player in MLB history to record three triples for his first three hits. He would hit five triples in his first seven games, creating a new record for the fewest games to hit five triples to open a career. Orlando would only play 86 games in 2015 before being optioned to Omaha to make room for Ben Zobrist, but he made an impact during those games. He would rejoin the Royals for the playoffs, where he would become not only the first Brazilian-born player to win a World Series but also the latest person to win a World Series on their birthday.  

2016 would be a breakout year for Orlando as he spent the season as the starting right fielder. He would play 105 games, putting up a .302 batting average with 5 home runs, 43 RBIs, and a bWAR of 2.0. The success wouldn’t last long as injuries and inconsistencies would plague his 2017 season as he hit .198 in only 39 games. He would play only 25 games in 2018 before getting demoted to Omaha. He would not play in the bigs again.  

Orlando would elect free agency and sign a minor league deal with the Dodgers. He hit .211 with two home runs, seven RBIs, and one stolen base in 24 games for the Oklahoma City Dodgers. He was flipped to the White Sox and played only 69 games with the Charlotte Knights before being released. He would then play a couple of seasons in the Mexican League for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos and El Águila de Veracruz before returning to Kansas City to play for the Monarchs. He would help lead the team to the 2021 American Association championship, but would return to the Mexican League in 2022. He would get injured during spring training and has not played in the Mexican League since. He would play one more time for his country in the 2023 Pan-American Games, where he led Brazil to a silver medal. He will now serve as the baserunning coach for the Brazilian national baseball team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. 

Paulo had a short yet memorable Royals tenure, forever marking his name in Royals lore. Sure, he won’t be a Royals Hall of Famer, but his impact with the Royals will forever be remembered. The country of Brazil has not produced a lot of successful players, but Orlando certainly produced some of the most memorable moments in recent Royals history.