Pittsburgh Pirates: A Look at the 2016 MLB Draft, Braeden Ogle

 So far we have taken a look at Will Craig, Travis MacGregor, and Stephen Alemais. To continue the series, let’s take a look at Pittsburgh Pirates 2016 fourth round pick Braeden Ogle and how he has faired in the minors thus far.

Ogle was a fourth round pick number 135 overall out of Jensen Beach High School in Florida. He was the second of three left- handed pitchers selected by the  Pittsburgh Pirates in their first 10 picks. With Nick Lodolo failing to sign and heading to TCU, Ogle became the main left hander to watch.

Ogle is 6’2 and a 170 pounds. His three pitch arsenal includes a fastball hitting 92-94 during instructs, a curveball, and changeup. The control isn’t quite there, but steps to change delivery are being made. Ogle projects as a 45 overall on a 20-80 scale, making him about average. Though he does rank as the number 24 prospect in the Pirates system.

2016

Ogle received a draft bonus that was well north of his slot value.  However, he showed why he was worth an above bonus deal in his first taste of professional ball. The Gulf Coast League was Ogle’s first assignment for his pro career.  In the GCL Ogle pitched in eight games, starting them all. He went 0-2 with a 2.60 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched. Ogle registered 20 strikeouts against 11 walks, while hitters hit .188 off him. All in all, it was a pretty positive step for the high upside lefty.

2017

Received a promotion to Bristol of the Appalachian League.  Through seven starts Ogle is sporting a 1-2 record and 4.06 ERA. In his last outing Ju25, 2017017 against Bluefield he pitched a scoreless inning striking out two batters.

The strikeouts and walk numbers are pretty equal from last season to this season for Ogle with 21 strikeouts to 13 walks. However, the batting average has jumped pretty hard. Hitters have a .276 average against Ogle, up .88 from last season.  Ogle’s WHIP is also up significantly from 1.05 to 1.52.

On the plus side, Ogle has pitched more this year having gone 31 innings in seven starts against the 27.2 in eight starts last season.

Next: Pirates Have Depth at Short Stop

15 games is a small sample to make any real determinations. Ogle just needs to keep working and developing and is doing so at an appropriate level.  Repeating the level next season is an option should the struggles continue. If Ogle puts it together for the next mouth of the season, it won’t surprise me if he is sent to The South Atlantic League to pitch for West Virginia to start next year.