Angels' Hard-Throwing Pitching Prospect is Heating Up

J.P. Hoornstra | May 31, 2024

Sep 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Ben Joyce (44) throws against the Minnesota Twins in the seventh inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Angels drafted Ben Joyce out of the University of Tennessee and fast-tracked him to the major leagues. Less than a year after he heard his name called in the third round of the 2022 draft, Joyce was making his major league debut.

Joyce, 23, began the 2024 season in the minor leagues and is patiently awaiting his return to Anaheim. Lately, the results have been promising.

As noted by Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, Joyce has 15 strikeouts and two walks in his last 8.1 innings. On Wednesday night, he gave up one run in two innings, striking out three and walking none.

The velocity that put Joyce on the fast track to Anaheim is still there:

How about Ben Joyce’s final batter today

102.6 MPH🔥
102.5 MPH🔥
103.2 MPH🔥
102.6 MPH🔥#Angels pic.twitter.com/tAJG9mmj80

— Jared Tims (@Jared_Tims) May 30, 2024

As Fletcher notes, the command issues that the Angels wanted Joyce to work on at Double-A seem to be improving. Yet it appears the team isn't fast-tracking him anywhere these days.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Angels manager Washington doubled down on his assertion that he’s not ready.

“He’s still walking guys,” Washington said, according to Fletcher. “And if he’s walking guys like that in the minor leagues, and then you put him on a big league mound, what do you think’s gonna happen? The atmosphere is different. The expectations are different.”

Those are legitimate points, but they haven't stopped the Angels from promoting unproven players to the big leagues in the past. It isn't just Joyce.

Over the past three years, the Angels have seen shortstop Zach Neto, first baseman Nolan Schanuel, and pitchers Sam Bachman, Chase Silseth and Victor Mederos reach the big leagues in two years or less. In Schanuel's case, the lag time was a matter of months.

Washington's hesitance might be specific to Joyce, or it might signal a new line of thinking from an organization with a more experienced manager in charge. Washington, who along with 72-year-old Bruce Bochy is the game's oldest manager, replaced first-time manager Phil Nevin, whose contract was not renewed after last season.