Angels' Sunday embarrassment proves that calling Ben Joyce up was the right call

With their bullpen blowing yet another game over the weekend, LAA made the bold move to turn to a familiar face.

Eric Cole

Jun 7, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Ben Joyce (44) throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs in the sixth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

For some time now, it has felt like something had to give with the Los Angeles Angels and their bullpen. Too many winnable games have gotten away from the Angels after bullpen implosions to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. While there were some understandable concerns over promoting flamethrower Ben Joyce again too soon, LA clearly thought that Joyce was ready and brought him back over the weekend.

From the looks of things, the move couldn't have come soon enough as LA's bullpen got victimized once again on Sunday in the Angels' 5-1 loss to the Mariners. Sure, the lack of offense definitely didn't help, but games like that one have made a strong case for a big change like this one.

Angels just have to hope that Ben Joyce can give their bullpen a boost

Joyce's first look at the big leagues last season was pretty rough. His first 12 appearances in the majors saw him post a 5.40 ERA with 10 strikeouts ... but also nine walks in just 10 innings of work. Joyce's command issues go back to his college days, but he clearly wasn't quite ready for the bright lights of the majors and the Angels opted not to carry him on the Opening Day roster this year despite his prodigious raw arm talent.

On the surface, it looks like Joyce has been much the same pitcher down at Double-A. He has struck out 34 batters in 19 innings, but he also has 11 walks on his ledger, which is not ideal. However, a closer look at his numbers suggests he has found a way to command that triple-digit fastball of his a bit better. Over his last 10 appearances, he has just three walks with eight of those appearances resulting in zero free passes.

With pitchers like Joyce, there is always a regression risk in regard to command. However, the Angels know Joyce better than anyone and clearly identified something that has allowed him to (mostly) command his pitches. Their coaching staff should be on high alert to make sure things don't get away from him, but the Angels' reality is that they can no longer afford to let Joyce's upside linger in the minor leagues while the big league team's bullpen continues to falter again and again.

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Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.