Angels: Team Expert Has High Hopes for Halos’ 2022 Draft Pick

He could make a big impact on this team sooner rather than later.

The Angels are starting to retool their farm system. An area that has been a weakness for a long time is slowly starting to improve.

Last year was the Halos' best year in terms of adding farm talent in a while, trading for catching prospect Logan O'Hoppe and drafting two potential great prospects in shortstop Zach Neto and right-handed pitcher Ben Joyce.

People are talking about O'Hoppe and Neto as potential players to make an impact this season. However, Angels insider Jeff Fletcher has some very high hopes for Joyce, potentially even as soon as this year.

"Right-hander Ben Joyce was the Angels’ third-round pick in 2022. He’s not even considered to be one of their top 10 prospects, but he consistently hits triple-digits with his fastball, so he’s an intriguing arm to watch for the back end of the major league bullpen. Joyce, who will be invited to spring training with the major leaguers, posted a 2.08 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 13 innings at Double-A last summer."

Last year in Double-A, Joyce had a 2.08 ERA in 13 appearances. He allowed three earned runs and zero home runs in 13 innings, and had 20 strikeouts and just four walks. 

Joyce throws really hard, and did receive an invite to Spring Training. No one's talked about him yet, but he's definitely someone to watch out for as a late-season contributor.