Former Volunteer Ben Joyce called up to the majors

A former Tennessee Volunteer is set to head to the major leagues. Ben Joyce and his 105 mph fastball are headed to the Angels, getting the call up from Double-A Rocket City.

At the Double-A level, Joyce had a 3.45 ERA, 44 strikeouts and 17 walks. He handled 28.2 innings for the Trash Pandas. Per MLB.com, Joyce has an 80 grade on his fastball — the highest mark on the scale. We know that from his days in Knoxville, where he regularly lit up the radar gun.

The 6-5, 225 pounder was the ninth-ranked prospect in the Angels’ system.

Joyce was absolutely electric in his lone season in Knoxville. After sitting out the 2021 season, Joyce put up a 2.23 ERA over 32 innings pitched. He struck out 53 batters over that span, giving up just eight earned runs. He averaged a staggering 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He was able to turn that big season into a pro career. Joyce was taken 89th overall in the third round by the Los Angeles Angels.

Now, Joyce gets his big league shot. His stuff is obviously big league caliber, but he’ll have to prove he can handle a workload. Teams had some concerns about his past injury history, but hopefully all of that is behind him now.