One half of Angels' Joyce twins officially retires from baseball due to health issues

Everybody knows about Ben Joyce, but not everybody is aware that the Angels also drafted his twin. Zach Joyce, an Angels 14th round pick in 2023, is unfortunately hanging up his cleats just a year and half into his injury-ravaged professional career.

Zach played at a junior college with Ben, then they both ended up transferring to the University of Tennessee in 2021. Unlike Ben, Zach did not play on the baseball team until 2023. Zach made 13 appearances in 2023, threw 10.1 innings, and struck out 17 batters. After getting drafted by the Angels, Zach ended up appearing in 11 games, totaling 10.2 innings, and striking out 9 for the Low-A Inland Empire 66ers.

Zach Joyce undoubtedly did not play baseball at Tennessee from '21-'22 due to mental health struggles, and has since used his platform to be an advocate for mental health awareness. He cited his retirement as a combination of physical and mental issues, as he discusses his lingering back and arm issues taking too much of a toll on his being. He described his bulging discs, disc degeneration, and spinal stenosis of the nerve canal in his retirement note.

The Angels twins are obviously close, and Ben spoke openly about his brother's troubles with mental health:

"“I just hope [people] take away that you're never alone. No matter what you're going through, you can get through it. … [Zach has] been open about his anxiety and depression, and I think it's really awesome that he took it upon himself to make it into a good thing for other people. I just hope that other people see his example and are able to reach out if they need help and just see the positive impact that he made on other people.”"

Ben Joyce

Ben Joyce is a massive part of the Angels' future, and his presence has been part of the reason for multiple draft pick selections over his short tenure with the team. While Angels' scouts deny selecting Zach solely because of Ben, they were assuredly influenced by Ben when they took a flier on his brother. Perhaps they selected Zach so he could be closer to his twin and help both of their mental states? It sure seems like Zach's in a better place when he is near his twin brother, and hopefully he stays in the game in some capacity. We all wish him the best while recovering from his injuries, and hopefully he and his brother will continue to prop each other up in their future endeavors.

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