It’s almost four years to the day since Northern Collegiate alum, and Sarnia local, Dylan O’Rae’s life was transformed. On 18 July 2022, O’Rae was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers as the 102nd pick in the MLB draft.

 

Such was his potential, forged under Chris Robinson in the Great Lakes Canadians travel program, that the Brewers convinced O’Rae to move straight into their development system. He withdrew his letter of intent to play college baseball for Illinois, and instead dived into rookie ball.

 

His early years in the farm system weren’t always easy. However, showing his characteristic grit, O’Rae has fought his way back from every obstacle thrown at him. Now, after a breakout 2026, he’s on the verge of the major leagues.

 

This is the story of how Dylan O’Rae put himself in prime position to be Sarnia’s first ever MLB player.

 

Bounce back after early setbacks

After being drafted, O’Rae began his journey in the Arizona Complex League playing for the ACL Brewers. He made a fast start, batting .308 with a .424 on-base percentage (OBP). This was to be expected, with O’Rae’s scouting notes highlighting that what he lacked in power he more than made up for with his eye and base-running speed.

 

This was again on full display after moving to the Single-A Carolina Mudcats in 2023, where he put up .349 with a .391 OBP. Most impressive were the 44 stolen bases the speedster managed across his time in Arizona and Carolina in 2023, the most out of all the Brewer’s prospects in the minors.

 

It’s O’Rae’s base stealing ability that’ll make him a star. Not only does it help his team, but it never fails to bring the fans to their feet. Base stealing is also a popular market with bettors and, until O’Rae hits the pros, fans can back the current crop of MLB speedsters using a Betvictor promo code.

 

A superb 2023 led to an eventual call-up to the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers for O’Rae. This is always a big step for batters as they face a trickier selection of pitches, and his averages dipped. O’Rae hit just .171 for the team, with his OBP dropping to .310 too. What didn’t abandon him was his speed, though, logging 29 stolen bases in 64 games.

 

This wasn’t the season O’Rae wanted, but he showed signs of progress. However, the following year this was nearly derailed.

 

Breakout season after injury setback

Dylan O’Rae missed most of 2025 with a severe wrist injury. After first being put on the 7-day Injured List in May, he was soon moved to the 60-day one. Eventually, he was forced to have surgery and was shut down.

 

If that made 2025 a year to forget, 2026 is certainly one to remember.

 

When O’Rae returned, he did so as a new player. At 5’8” he is never going to be a powerhouse, but the O’Rae who returned to the Shuckers this year has noticeable more muscle on his frame.

 

This has helped him overcome the career-worst batting season he posted for the team in 2024. Through 61 games so far in 2026, O’Rae is hitting at .314, almost double what he managed in 2024. His OBP has gone back up to .432 as well, and he’s as fast as ever with 35 stolen bases.

 

In June, he even managed a game-winning 377-foot go-ahead home run to win the game against the Montgomery Biscuits.

 

In his current form, O’Rae is almost certain to take the final step to AAA soon. So long as he doesn’t suffer from another dip in batting averages as he did when first going to AA, his elite speed between the bases will earn him a spot in the big show sooner rather than later.