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Ontario Professional Baseball Club Names Allan Benavides as Team’s First General Manager

Benavides to Lead New Single-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers Ahead of Inaugural Season in 2026
April 30, 2025

ONTARIO, CALIF. (April 30, 2025) – The Ontario Professional Baseball Club, the future Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers that is owned and operated by Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), is excited to announce the appointment of Allan Benavides as its first General Manager. As Benavides takes the helm to

ONTARIO, CALIF. (April 30, 2025) – The Ontario Professional Baseball Club, the future Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers that is owned and operated by Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), is excited to announce the appointment of Allan Benavides as its first General Manager.

As Benavides takes the helm to launch Ontario’s first-ever professional baseball team, he will bring over two decades of award-winning leadership and Minor League Baseball experience, including the last 15 years as General Manager of the Eugene Emeralds.

Under his leadership, the Emeralds became one of Minor League Baseball’s most respected franchises, earning multiple national honors including the Larry MacPhail Award in 2018 for top promotional excellence and the Freitas Award in 2020 for overall organizational achievement. During Benavides’ tenure, the team also won five Golden Bobblehead Awards and four league championships. Additionally, Benavides helped bring fun and creativity to Eugene’s game experience with the successful launch of alternate brands like Los Monarcas de Eugene and the Exploding Whales.

“We are thrilled that Allan will be leading the charge in Ontario,” said Pat Battle and Peter Freund, Executive Chairman and CEO of DBH, respectively. “His track record in building strong, community-focused organizations makes him the perfect fit as we bring professional baseball and family-friendly, affordable entertainment to the city of Ontario.”

The Ontario Professional Baseball Club will become the Single-A affiliate of the Dodgers beginning in the 2026 season. The team will play at the all-new Ontario Sports Empire Complex, a 190-acre premiere sports facility that is poised to become a major regional and national hub for sports and entertainment.

“As someone who grew up rooting for the Dodgers, the opportunity to come home to Southern California and launch a new Dodgers-affiliated club is a dream come true,” said Benavides. “I’m honored to help bring professional baseball and the lifelong memories that come with having a hometown team to Ontario and I look forward to building something special with this community from day one.”

As DBH prepares for the team’s inaugural season, Benavides will lead the charge in developing team operations, staffing and community engagement efforts to lay the foundation for a defining chapter in Ontario sports history.