Former Kansas City Royals outfielder Paulo Orlando is now a U.S. citizen
Outfielder Paulo Orlando’s path to Major League Baseball was far from the ordinary. As a kid growing up in Brazil, he had hoped to become a soccer star.
A friend of Orlando’s mother suggested Orlando try baseball, and he finally did as a 12-year-old but only on the weekends at first.
Despite the late start to the game, Orlando not only made it to the big leagues but won Major League Baseball’s biggest prize.
Breaking in with the Royals in 2015, Orlando’s first three hits were all triples, and he later played in all three rounds of the postseason.
After the Royals won the World Series, Orlando celebrated with a Brazilian flag on his shoulders.
But Orlando, a native of Sao Paulo, is now a citizen of the United States. On Friday, Orlando was at the Robert J. Dole Federal Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas, where he was sworn in as an American citizen.
“American Citizen. God Bless America God Bless my family,” Orlando wrote.
Orlando, who was with the Royals from 2015-18, played briefly for the Kansas City Monarchs last year, as well as in Mexico.
