Dodgers minor league corner man Easton Shelton led the California League in several categories and on Tuesday was named the league MVP, a highlight of the first season of the Class-A Ontario Tower Buzzers.
Shelton hit .297/.403/.644 with 37 home runs, 112 RBI, and a 151 wRC+ in 109 games this season. His 37 home runs were 16 more than the second-best in the Cal League (his Ontario teammate, outfielder Ching-Hsien Ko). Shelton led the league in home runs, RBI, OPS (1.047), slugging percentage, extra-bast
hits (65), and total bases (262), and was second in on-base percentage.
His 37 home runs were tied for fifth-most in all of the minor leagues this season.
Shelton also homered in Game 1 of Ontario’s playoff series last Tuesday.
Signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2023, the 6’4 Shelton turns 21 on Thursday. He started 82 games at first base and 14 at third base this season for Ontario, and also played a smattering of corner outfield in 2024-25 in the Arizona Complex League and a very brief sojourn with High-A Great Lakes.
Shelton gives the Dodgers two straight California League MVP awards, along with outfielder Eduardo Quintero, who won the award last year with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes despite getting promoted to Great Lakes in July with seven weeks left in the regular season. Shelton is the 18th Dodgers minor leaguer to win Cal League MVP, representing eight different cities.
Dodgers to win California League MVP
- 1941: C Spider Jorgensen, Santa Barbara
- 1959: OF Willie Davis, Reno
- 1960: SP Robert Arrighi, Reno
- 1961: SS Don Williams, Reno
- 1962: 1B William Haas, Reno
- 1970: C Sonny Johnson, Bakersfield
- 1977: 1B Kelly Snider, Lodi
- 1979: 1B Mike Marshall, Lodi
- 1980: OF Candy Maldonado, Lodi
- 1987: C Luis Lopez, Bakersfield
- 1995: 2B Adam Riggs, San Bernardino
- 1999: OF Chin-Feng Chen, San Bernardino
- 2008: C Carlos Santana, Inland Empire
- 2014: SS Corey Seager, Rancho Cucamonga
- 2017: OF D.J. Peters, Rancho Cucamonga
- 2018: 3B Rylan Bannon, Rancho Cucamonga
- 2025: OF Eduardo Quintero, Rancho Cucamonga
- 2026: 1B/3B Easton Shelton, Ontario
In addition to the MVP award, Minor League Baseball also announced season-ending awards and honors for all Class-A levels. Three Ontario players made the California League All-Star team — Shelton at first base, plus outfielder Jaron Elkins and Mairo Martinus as a utility player. Elkins was promoted to High-A Great Lakes in the last week of July, and Martinus joined him with the Loons in the first week of August.
Elkins with Ontario hit .339/.421/.584 with a 150 wRC+, 13 home runs, 19 doubles, six triples, and 34 steals in 40 tries in 68 games for the Tower Buzzers. The 2023 draft pick in 267 career minor league games to date has stolen 125 bases.
Martinus started games at all seven positions in the infield and outfield for Ontario, and hit .317/.359/.537 with a 119 wRC+, 15 home runs, 25 doubles, eight triples, and 30 stolen bases in 35 attempts in 94 games.
