ANAHEIM ― Pitcher Ben Joyce picked up juggling shortly after he arrived at Double-A Rocket City in August 2022. It soon became a way of making the minutes pass during the second and third innings, when late-inning relievers are rarely asked to pitch.
By the time he was promoted to the big leagues on Sunday, Joyce was the best juggler in the Trash Pandas’ clubhouse – up to 800 repetitions with three balls.
No wonder the Angels feel he is a quick learner.
Joyce, 22, did not pick up any juggling balls on his first day in the major leagues Sunday, a game attended by his girlfriend, parents and identical twin brother Zach. Although he did not appear in the Angels’ 2-0 loss to the Miami Marlins, the occasion was no less special.
“It means everything,” Joyce said. “It’s what I’ve been working for since I was 3 years old, playing baseball, trying to dream of making it to the big leagues. Then finally hearing that call. It means everything. It’s all the hard work you put in paying off.”
Major-league velocity has been within Joyce’s reach for years. His fastball was clocked at 105.5 mph in a May 1, 2022 game with the University of Tennessee – officially an NCAA record. Joyce touched 103 mph in his penultimate Double-A outing.
His overall command, and his facility with his slider, had a ways to go until recently. Joyce said he only learned the slider this past offseason under the tutelage of Sean McLaughlin.
McLaughlin, who was briefly teammates with Joyce in Rocket City, retired after last season and opened a pitching facility near Atlanta. There, he helped Joyce develop the slider into a weapon that currently sits in the low 90s.
“His last three outings have been really good, efficient innings,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said of Joyce. “He’s commanding where we wanted him to be. There were some things we felt he needed to work on.”
Joyce took the roster spot of left-handed reliever Matt Moore, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained right oblique. To make room for Joyce on the 40-man roster, the Angels transferred pitcher Austin Warren to the 60-day IL.
Joyce and Angels shortstop Zach Neto are the first two players selected in the 2022 draft to reach the major leagues.
EIGHTH MEN IN
Joyce’s first stay in the big leagues might not be brief. Moore has a Grade 2 strain of his right oblique, Nevin said, and he will not throw during the Angels’ forthcoming road trip to Chicago and Houston.
“It stinks,” Moore said Saturday. “We all know there are certain things that pop up, so it’s not like you can do much. The reality is, I’m sore on my side so I have to keep coming in here every day, try to make it not sore, try to get back on track. I haven’t had this before so I’m not sure how it feels to compare it to anything, but from (Friday) to (Saturday) it felt better.”
Moore, 33, has been a boon to an Angels’ bullpen that has shuffled roles early and often this year. In 22 appearances, the veteran left-hander is 3-1 with a 1.44 ERA. Signed to a one-year, $7.55 million contract in February, Moore emerged as the primary set-up man to closer Carlos Estevez.
In Moore’s absence, Nevin named right-handers Chris Devenski and Jacob Webb as candidates to pitch the eighth inning in save situations.
Devenski, an Orange County native, has a 2.87 ERA in 15-2/3 innings this season, with no walks and 16 strikeouts. Webb, who’s made three appearances since his contract was purchased from Triple-A on May 21, has struck out nine batters in five innings while allowing only two runs.
ALSO
An error charged to Angels catcher Matt Thaiss in Saturday night’s game was changed to a fielder’s choice and an RBI for Jacob Stallings. Thaiss’ foot left home plate while attempting to turn a 1-2-3 double play, resulting in the Marlins’ sixth run of the game.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Griffin Canning, 3-4, 4.24 ERA) at Chicago White Sox (RHP Michael Kopech, 3-4, 4.24 ERA), Monday, 5 p.m., Bally Sports West, Fox Sports 1 (out-of-town only), 830 AM
