Salt Lake Bees sweep PCL weekly awards for first time since 2024
Jul 9, 2026, 10:10 AM | Updated: Jul 10, 2026, 10:03 am
Ben Gobbel and George Klassen of the Salt Lake Bees were named PCL Player and Pitcher of the Week after a strong start to July. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – The Salt Lake Bees rode a hot week into a Pacific Coast League weekly award sweep, with a pair of Los Angeles Angels farmhands claiming both honors.
Right-hander George Klassen — the Angels’ No. 4 overall prospect — was named PCL Pitcher of the Week, and infielder Ben Gobbel earned Player of the Week for the June 30-July 6 period.
It marks the first time Salt Lake has swept the league’s weekly awards since June 24-30, 2024, when Keston Hiura and Ryan Miller took the honors, and gives the Bees four PCL awards in 2026.
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A clean sweep for the @SaltLakeBees 🧹
Ben Gobbel and George Klassen each took home the PCL’s weekly hardware for their scorching performances to start July🏆🏆
Take a look at their highlights below! 👇 pic.twitter.com/Y9IVF6RjYe
— Angels Player Development (@AngelsPlayerDev) July 6, 2026
Gobbel hit .435 (10-for-23) with four home runs, 12 RBI and eight runs scored while extending his on-base streak to 28 games across three levels, dating to May 30.
The 26-year-old’s only previous weekly honor came in 2024, when he was named Northwest League Player of the Week with the Tri-City Dust Devils. He is the first Salt Lake position player to earn the award this season and the first Bee to receive it since Niko Kavadas on Sept. 16-22, 2025.
Klassen punched out a Triple-A career-high nine batters in a dominant seven-inning shutout against the Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics) on July 1, generating 18 whiffs — the most by any Triple-A pitcher that day. He worked around three hits and a walk, retiring 15 straight batters at one point, including five consecutive strikeouts.
It is the third Pitcher of the Week award of Klassen’s minor league career and the third at a different level, following High-A South Atlantic League honors with Jersey Shore in June 2024 and Double-A Southern League honors with Rocket City in September 2024. He joins fellow Angels prospect Caden Dana (April 28-May 4) as a Salt Lake recipient this season.
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Who is Ben Gobbel?
Ben Gobbel signed with the Angels as an undrafted free agent in 2022 following four seasons at Belmont Abbey College, where he finished his Crusaders career hitting .315 with 25 home runs, 150 RBI and 37 stolen bases in 167 games.
The Cumming, Georgia, native’s first professional stop was the Arizona Complex League in 2022. He advanced to Double-A Rocket City in 2024, where he slashed .228/.268/.357 with eight homers in 68 games.
Ben Gobbel is your Pacific Coast League Player of the Week
🔥 .435 AVG⁰💣 4 HR⁰💪 12 RBI
Read more: https://t.co/z4grhwGhWT pic.twitter.com/BAhfEbYFr1
— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) July 6, 2026
In 2025, extended stays with Single-A Tri-City and Rocket City helped the 6-foot-1, 192-pound shortstop reach Triple-A for the first time. Gobbel recorded five hits in three games during his first taste of Triple-A pitching.
He began 2026 with Rocket City, showing enough command of the strike zone in 14 games to earn a promotion to Salt Lake on June 10.
Gobbel has feasted at the highest level of the minors, slashing .326/.400/.558 with five homers, seven doubles, and 21 RBI. Entering Thursday night’s game, Gobbel has 31 hits in 23 appearances with the Bees — reaching base in every one.
Who is George Klassen?
George Klassen was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 2023 MLB draft after three seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-hander made his professional debut the following year. He posted a 0.71 ERA and 0.87 WHIP while punching out 57 batters in 38 innings with Single-A Clearwater — earning both a midseason promotion to High-A and a Florida State League postseason All-Star nod. With the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, Klassen made five starts, striking out 32 in 21 1/3 innings with a 4.22 ERA.
George Klassen has been named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week
💥 7.0 IP⁰👊 9 K
🔗: https://t.co/z4grhwGhWT pic.twitter.com/alBFiEmnoa
— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) July 6, 2026
Klassen went on to pitch for four teams across two organizations in his first professional season, finishing with a 3.10 ERA and 135 strikeouts against 46 walks in 93 innings.
He opened 2025 with Double-A Rocket City, registering a 5.35 ERA across 24 starts and 102 2/3 innings before a late-season bump to Triple-A Salt Lake. His final appearance of the year came with the Bees, when Klassen scattered six hits over six innings while striking out eight and walking one.
Now ranked as the Angels’ No. 4 overall prospect by MLB.com, Klassen earned a brief call to the majors in April, making two starts for Los Angeles. The results were rough — six earned runs and 10 walks in 4 2/3 innings — but the experience underscored the organization’s belief in his arm.
Since returning to Salt Lake, the 24-year-old has posted a 2.17 ERA over his past seven starts, including quality starts in each of his last three outings.
Through 14 starts this season with Salt Lake, Klassen is 4-6 with a 4.38 ERA, 59 strikeouts, and 36 walks.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
