A lot is going on with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024, but one thing is clear: Ben Joyce is on fire. The 23-year-old flamethrower has excelled over the last month as he’s become better acclimated to Major League Baseball. While the team has played better of late, they will likely miss the postseason again this year. The Angels should be sellers at the trade deadline. Once again, they have too many injuries to star players to be competitive. Plus, after incredible starts, there has been regression from former top prospects like Reid Detmers and Jo Adell. Still, no one ever knows what the Angels’ trade deadline strategy will be. That might be part of the problem. It’s not all bad news, though.
Ben Joyce is On Fire for the Angels
A Big Part of the Future
It would be good enough news to say that Ben Joyce has taken a big leap with his play over the last month. Yet, it’s becoming clear that Joyce is cementing himself as the Angels’ future closer. It’s easy to look out his fastball and say “Of course,” but Joyce’s improvement is due to an improved secondary offering. Sure, he’s thrown the fastest pitch of the MLB season. He threw an even faster pitch in college at Tennessee. But, it’s been the addition of a “splinker” — a splitter/sinker hybrid pitch, that has helped Joyce improve the most. While his heater averages more than 100 mph, it has been somewhat hittable. Joyce’s slider has also been easy for hitters to get to. The addition of the splinker is the main reason Joyce is on fire, as it has allowed him another offering to keep hitters guessing.
Ben Joyce, FILTH
3Ks using mostly Splinkers, with a Slider & 103 ⛽️ sprinkled in.
The Smile at the end. 😈 pic.twitter.com/NBWyvjgiDK
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 14, 2024
The Angels face an uphill battle to improve their ballclub in the near future. They are struggling again at the major league level and, according to MLB Pipeline, they have the worst farm system in baseball. While they do have some young regulars with potential, only All-Star snub catcher Logan O’Hoppe has consistently performed this year. A flurry of trades at this year’s trade deadline could help, with a handful of valuable options. The Carlos Estévez trade market could help return valuable young prospects. The same could be said for a trade for Angels lefty starter Tyler Anderson, who could be used by nearly every contending team.
The Fireballer Has Arrived
After giving up three runs over 2/3 of an inning on June 11, Ben Joyce has been red-hot since. He ended that day with a 22.50 ERA, albeit over a mere three games and two innings pitched. The Angels were in no rush to send him back to the minors. Joyce has repaid their confidence in him with an 11-game scoreless streak. His gaudy 22.50 ERA now sits at a solid 2.76 ERA. Over those 11 games, Joyce has logged 14 1/3 innings, while allowing only five hits and striking out 15 batters. Joyce’s 0.837 WHIP is impressive enough, but his .109 BAA is phenomenal.
To put these numbers into context, Angels reliever Carlos Estévez won the American League Reliever of the Month for June while posting a 0.00 ERA over 10 IP. Estévez did post a minuscule 0.200 WHIP while recording eight saves, but Joyce has pitched multiple innings in four of his 11 appearances. Simply put, Ben Joyce is on fire.
Photo Credit: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
