SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (July 6, 2026) — Minor League Baseball announced Monday that Salt Lake Bees infielder Ben Gobbel and right-handed pitcher George Klassen have been named the Pacific Coast League Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, following their standout performances during Salt Lake's series against the Las Vegas Aviators.
Gobbel, 26, batted .435 (10-for-23) while leading the Pacific Coast League with four home runs, 12 RBI and eight runs scored. He homered in each of the final three games of the series and went deep in four of the final five contests.
Since making his Triple-A debut on June 10, Gobbel has reached base safely in all 22 games he has played with Salt Lake. Across three levels this season, he owns a 28-game on-base streak dating back to May 30. Gobbel recorded multiple hits in each of the final three games of the series, including a three-hit performance on Sunday. He also drove in a Triple-A career-high four runs in Sunday's victory.
The weekly honor is the second of Gobbel's Minor League career after earning Northwest League Player of the Week honors with Tri-City in 2024. Through 22 games with Salt Lake, he is batting .330 with five home runs, seven doubles, 20 RBI, 16 runs scored and a .971 OPS.
Gobbel becomes the first Salt Lake position player to earn Pacific Coast League Player of the Week honors this season and the first Bee to receive the award since Niko Kavadas on Sept. 16-22, 2025.
Klassen, 24, turned in a dominant outing on Wednesday, July 1, striking out a Triple-A career-high nine batters over seven innings. The right-hander retired 15 consecutive hitters during one stretch, including five straight strikeouts, while allowing just three hits and one walk.
The seven-inning effort was Klassen's longest outing since Sept. 10, 2025, with Double-A Rocket City and marked the longest start by a Salt Lake pitcher this season. It was also the Bees' longest outing by a starter since Brett Kerry tossed seven innings on Sept. 18, 2025, at Las Vegas. Klassen recorded his team-leading fourth quality start of the season and his third consecutive quality start.
The Pitcher of the Week award is the third weekly honor of Klassen's Minor League career coming at three different levels. He previously earned High-A South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week honors with Jersey Shore (Philadelphia) in June 2024 before being named Southern League Pitcher of the Week with Rocket City in September 2024.
Klassen joins Caden Dana as the second Salt Lake pitcher to earn Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week honors this season after Dana received the award for April 28-May 4. It also marks the first time since 2024 that Salt Lake has had multiple Pitcher of the Week recipients in the same season. The Bees had four different pitchers earn the honor that year which include Andrew Wantz, Brett Kerry, Ryan Miller and Reid Detmers.
The Bees have now claimed four Pacific Coast League awards in 2026 after Dana was named the PCL Pitcher of the Week and Denzer Guzman was named the league's Player of the Month for May.
This also marks the first time Salt Lake has swept the league's weekly honors since June 24-30, 2024, when Keston Hiura was named Player of the Week and Ryan Miller earned Pitcher of the Week honors.
Salt Lake opens a six-game road series against the Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday, July 7, at Sutter Health Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. MDT in the Bees' final series before the All-Star break. Salt Lake returns home on Friday, July 17, to begin a nine-game homestand with three games against the Reno Aces followed by a six-game set against the Omaha Storm Chasers.
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About the Salt Lake Bees
The Salt Lake Bees are in their 25th season as the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels and will remain the organization's top affiliate through the 2030 season. Since joining the Angels organization, Salt Lake has captured five division championships and made two appearances in the Pacific Coast League Finals. The Bees play at The Ballpark at America First Square in South Jordan, Utah.