Local MLB prospects Dylan O'Rae and Adam Hall preparing for spring training

Big league dreams Two local AA baseball players are hoping to make MLB training, CTV London's Brent Lale has more on their dreams of the diamond.

Off-season hacks in hopes of in-season jacks.

Milwaukee Brewers prospects Dylan O’Rae and Adam Hall are getting in daily workouts at Centrefield Sports (CFS) in London, Ont. as they prepare for the warm Arizona sun next month.

O’Rae, 20, of Sarnia, Ont. made the jump in 2024 from High-A to Double-A in his third season of professional baseball.

“It was good to jump a level, and I like I enjoyed moving up,” says O’Rae, a third-round pick of the Brewers in 2022.

“It was a good year overall and learned a lot, so I’ll be ready for next year.”

Playing second base and centre field for the first time, it was his speed on the bases which made people take notice.

He stole 62 bases across the two levels.

“It’s always been a big part of my game, the running side,” says the former Northern Collegiate student.

“I wanted to make that an emphasis, this past year and the year before, too, but especially last year. My goal was 70 [stolen bases], and I didn't quite get there. A big part of my game is helping the team score runs, getting on bases for the guys behind me.”

Working out with him at CFS is teammate Adam Hall. The second-round pick of the Orioles in 2017, many thought the highly touted shortstop from London, Ont. would have been in the big leagues by now.

However, the A.B. Lucas Secondary School graduate saw the pandemic, injuries and competition put up a roadblock.

“A combination of injuries, bad timing with Covid and restructuring of the minor leagues,” says Hall.

“The Orioles did a great job of drafting, so there was lots of competition there. I didn't play as well as I should have at times. I mean, it's not all excuses, and I need to play better to stay around, and that's just the way it goes.”

He started last season playing independent ball in Winnipeg, but not long after the Brewers called. A few days into the season he was off to Arizona then Biloxi, Miss.

“I'm really happy with how I did defensively this year,” says Hall.

“I played a lot of left field, which [is]not a position I was super familiar with – more center field. That was a change, but I know that the Brewers value that as a metric in their organization. Being able to do that, it's a nice thing to have.”

The Great Lake Canadians (GLC) alumni have been hitting the gym and even acting as ambassadors for the college and university players at the facility.

GLC director of baseball operations Chris Robinson believes either one could be the program’s first major league player.

“Double-A to the big leagues happens all the time now,” says Robinson, a former major league catcher.

“They're both at the top of their game kind and in that area where anything can happen. They're good players, they are versatile, which helps them as well. Hopefully one of them will be our first big leaguer here before too long.”

As Hall says it is still his dream to play in the big leagues, and the reason he’s in the gym every day. Robinson knows how his pupil is feeling, he spent eight years grinding in the minor leagues before getting a call up to the San Diego Padres.

“I think at times you don't want to hear that, and looking back on my career and I was pretty fortunate to get the opportunities I had,” says Robinson.

“These guys are just kind of on the cusp of that, and I think they're both a lot more talented than I ever was.”

Hall and O’Rae both leave for spring training in Arizona next month.