The Los Angeles Angels have a unique reliever on their roster.
His name is Ben Joyce and he has been up for a few days now, so fans are now familiar with him, his repertoire, and the things that make him special.
He can throw a baseball at a really high velocity, reaching 101, 102, and even 103 mph with relative ease.
He is the kind of arm that can dominate in an MLB bullpen for a decade or more, provided he can overcome his control issues (we will get there in a minute).
For now, Joyce is already in the Angels’ history books with just four innings pitched.
“Most 101+ MPH pitches by Angels pitchers (in the entire pitch tracking era): Ben Joyce, 57; Jordan Walden, 19; Shohei Ohtani, 11; Ervin Santana, 2; JC Ramirez, 1. Ben Joyce has thrown only 80 big league pitches,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
Most 101+ MPH pitches by Angels pitchers
(in the entire pitch tracking era):Ben Joyce, 57 🔥🔥🔥
Jordan Walden, 19
Shohei Ohtani, 11
Ervin Santana, 2
JC Ramirez, 1Ben Joyce has thrown only 80 big league pitches. 😮 https://t.co/6jA7UjWrZk
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) June 8, 2023
That bit of information is unbelievable: more than half of his pitches in the majors have traveled at 101 mph or more.
Now, Joyce has a control problem, probably because he pitched just 28.2 professional innings in the minors between 2022 and 2023 before being called up.
In the four innings he has completed in the majors this year, he has three walks and a 4.50 ERA.
He pitched 15.2 frames in Double-A before getting the call, and walked 13 hitters.
Obviously, he has the arm strength and the stuff, but his command is still raw.
If Joyce is ever able to significantly lower his walks, he might be the best reliever in baseball one day.
He has that kind of potential, but has worked to do.
NEXT:
Ken Rosenthal Discusses Shohei Ohtani’s Impending Free Agency
