March 12, 2020, Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots have signed former Major League outfielder and 2015 World Series champion Paulo Orlando for the 2020 season.

“I’ve heard very good things about the Patriots,” said Orlando. “One of my former teammates Jimmy Paredes said good things about the culture. I had a nice conversation with Jon [Hunton] about the team and direction they are going in. I’m very excited to join this year and get started.”

Orlando enters his first season with the Somerset Patriots and his first in the Atlantic League. The speedy outfielder has four years of service in the Majors – all with the Kansas City Royals. He first broke into the bigs in 2015, where he hit .249 with seven home runs, 27 RBI and three stolen bases over 86 games. Orlando then went 3-for-11 from the plate with an RBI and three runs scored for the Royals in the postseason that year, including five appearances in the World Series against the New York Mets.

The Sao Paulo, Brazil native’s best season in “The Show” came in 2016. That season, Orlando slashed .302 with five home runs, 43 RBI, six triples and 14 stolen bases over a career-high 128 games. The six triples ranked 15th in the American League, while his 14 stolen bases ranked 22nd in the league. Orlando continued to see time with the Royals in 2017 and 2018.

He owns a .263 batting average with 14 home runs, 81 RBI, 10 triples and 18 stolen bases over 278 games at the Major League level.  

“We are thrilled to be joined by outfielder Paulo Orlando,” said Somerset Patriots manager Brett Jodie. “Paulo seems to be the total package in terms of what you look for in a player. He can play all three outfield positions well. He can hit for average and has good power. He minimizes strikeouts at the plate and he can run. On top of that, Paulo is a good teammate who is eager to help the Patriots win a championship this year. We can’t wait to get Orlando in here to get to work.”

Orlando has spent the majority of his playing time at either the Major League or Triple-A level for each of his last eight seasons. He most recently split time between Triple-A Charlotte (Chicago White Sox) and Triple-A Oklahoma City (Los Angeles Dodgers) in 2019. Orlando hit a combined .235 with 12 home runs, 39 RBI and six stolen bases over 93 games between the two stops.

Orlando has twice been recognized as an MiLB Organizational All-Star in the Royals system (2010, 2014) and as a Mid-Season All-Star (2010, Double-A Northwest Arkansas; 2014, Triple-A Omaha). He was also once recognized as a Post-Season All-Star (2010, Northwest Arkansas).

Overall, the longtime Royals farmhand has slashed .273 with 92 home runs, 533 RBI and 219 stolen bases over 13 seasons in minor league baseball.

The Somerset Patriots will be back in action on Friday, May 1st for Opening Day at TD Bank Ballpark. Single Game Tickets are now on sale for all 72 home games. Stay up to date on all the team news throughout the offseason online; on all of our social media platforms, and on our mobile app. For more information, visit www.somersetpatriots.com.