The Dodgers have a new Class-A affiliate in the California League this season. After 15 years linked with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, 2026 is the inaugural season for the Ontario Tower Buzzers.
Ontario’s first roster is headlined by shortstop Emil Morales, who was named to top-100 prospect lists this offseason by Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, ESPN, The Athletic, and MLB Pipeline. The 19-year-old headlined the Dodgers’ international
signing period in 2024, and later that year won Dominican Summer League MVP. Morales impressed last season in his first taste of Class-A, hitting .339/.420/.548 with a 160 wRC+, 11 doubles, five home runs in 30 games for the Quakes. If he follows outfielder Eduardo Quintero’s path from last year, Morales’s stay in Ontario might not be a long one.
Morales is one of 13 players on Ontario’s roster this year who played for Rancho Cucamonga last year, including infielders Joendry Vargas and Chase Harlan, and pitcher Marlon Nieves.
Nine 2025 draft picks by the Dodgers are on Ontario’s roster, including second-round pitcher Cam Leiter and third-round outfielder Landyn Vidourek. Vidourek played briefly for the Quakes last season. Leiter will be making his professional debut in 2026, one of nine players on the Tower Buzzers roster set to debut this year.
This group will be managed by the Dodgers’ captain of player development John Shoemaker, in his 50th year in the organization.
Ontario’s first game is this Thursday, April 2, at home against the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres), at the brand new ONT Field.
