Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 20 | Run: 70 | Arm: 45 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

The Brewers were one of the teams high on O’Rae coming out of Ontario ahead of the 2022 Draft. The organization liked what they saw from his high OBP stint with Canada’s Junior National Team and selected him in the third round that July. O’Rae signed around slot for $597,500 and backed up Milwaukee’s confidence with a solid first full season, hitting .349/.491/.394 with 44 steals in 60 games between the Arizona Complex League and Single-A Carolina. His .491 OBP topped all Minor Leaguers with at least 250 plate appearances while his 1.54 BB/K ratio placed fourth.

Standing just 5-foot-7, O’Rae doesn’t have a very big strike zone, and he does pitchers no favors by not going outside of it to swing. Starting from a slightly open stance, he shows quick hands from the left side that help produce a healthy amount of contact. It would be all the makings for a true plus hitter, if he had any modicum of power. His swing is geared toward ground balls -- 57.1 percent of his batted balls were on the dirt and grass -- and he punches a ton of them the other way with a 51.1 percent oppo rate that was second in the Minors. Only nine of O’Rae’s 84 career hits have gone for extra bases.

The plus-plus speed the Brewers liked so much in the Draft has certainly played in pro ball, however, and O’Rae is efficient when it comes to stealing bags. Below-average arm strength pushed him from short to second base and he also tried center field in 2023, where he has more room to roam. There are pieces for an exciting prospect here, but the power needs to develop in his age-20 season and beyond.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 30 | Run: 70 | Arm: 45 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

Milwaukee felt like the industry was missing something on O’Rae. The Ontario native hit .257/.464/.343 with 17 steals in 25 games for Canada’s Junior National Team against advanced competition leading up to the 2022 Draft, and the looks he gave there provided the Brewers with enough confidence to select him in the third round and sign him for around slot at $597,500 -- an indication the pick was not made for pool-saving purposes. He played eight games in the Arizona Complex League after signing and showed much of the same skillset by going 8-for-26 with no extra-base hits and four steals.

O’Rae already demonstrated to Milwaukee officials and scouts that he could control the zone in an advanced way as an amateur, and that continued with his 7/6 K/BB ratio in complex play. It’s a skill that could translate well at each Minor League stop when the teenager starts seeing full-season ball. Listed at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, the left-handed batter has little in-game power in his current frame, but the Brewers believe there’s a chance for him to add strength as he matures.

The Canadian’s plus-plus speed will help him pick up some extra-base hits for now -- on top of his ever-present threat to steal bags -- and it should help his case to stick up the middle, too. Milwaukee wanted to give O’Rae a try at short, but his limited arm strength made him a better fit in the Arizona Complex League this season. Being an average hitter with great speed is valuable anywhere up the middle, and becoming that should be a focus in the early stages of O’Rae’s career.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 70 | Arm: 45 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

O’Rae may have gone unnoticed by much of the industry as a native of Sarnia, Ontario, but the Brewers believed everyone was missing out on a potential gem. After all, O’Rae was a key participant in Canada’s Junior National Team and held his own against strong competition with a .257/.464/.343 line, five extra-base hits and 17 steals in 25 games. Milwaukee selected the middle infielder in the third round and signed him for just around slot at $597,500.

The Brewers might have been most intrigued by O’Rae’s ability to control the zone at such a young age -- he turned 18 in February -- and they think discipline will serve him well in the transition to pro ball. At just 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, O’Rae didn’t generate a ton of power against the advanced international arms he saw with Canada, but Milwaukee believes there’s more strength there than his size suggests. His best opportunity to add slugging percentage points might come when using his plus-plus speed to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples.

Because of those wheels, O’Rae should factor somewhere up the middle in the pros. The Brewers will likely start him out at shortstop, but a fringy arm likely means a move to second base down the line. He could even be an asset in center, should a need arise there. If O’Rae can be an average bat at those positions, he’ll be a valuable member of a big league club.

Awards

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	06/18/2024	SS Dylan O'Rae assigned to Biloxi Shuckers from Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
	03/31/2024	SS Dylan O'Rae assigned to Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from Carolina Mudcats.
	03/07/2024	Milwaukee Brewers Prospects activated SS Dylan O'Rae.
	02/27/2024	SS Dylan O'Rae assigned to Milwaukee Brewers.
	08/11/2023	SS Dylan O'Rae assigned to Carolina Mudcats from ACL Brewers.
	03/28/2023	SS Dylan O'Rae and assigned to Milwaukee Brewers.
	09/01/2022	SS Dylan O'Rae assigned to International Team (18U).
	08/09/2022	SS Dylan O'Rae assigned to ACL Brewers Gold.
	08/09/2022	ACL Brewers Gold activated SS Dylan O'Rae.
	07/27/2022	Milwaukee Brewers signed SS Dylan O'Rae.
	04/19/2022	2B Dylan O'Rae assigned to Canada Jr. Team.