L.A. Angels pick Tennessee pitcher Zach Joyce — Ben Joyce's twin brother — in 2023 MLB Draft
The Los Angeles Angels are trying to double their investment in the Joyce family.
Zach Joyce, the twin brother of Angels pitcher Ben Joyce, was selected in the 14th round with the No. 414 pick of the 2023 MLB Draft on Tuesday, one year after Ben was taken with the No. 89 pick.
Zach Joyce, a 6-foot-4 junior right-handed pitcher, told Knox News he plans to sign.
“The story of it being with Ben and being his brother is great, but this was a guy that regardless of any connection to the Angels, I was targeting him as a guy that could help us for sure,” Tim McIlvaine, the director of amateur scouting for the Angels, told the Associated Press. “The story now with Ben, too, could be awesome at some point as well, but for sure, (Zach is) a really talented kid.”
The Joyce brothers played at Farragut High School, Walters State and then Tennessee.
Where the brothers differ is in their style of pitching. Ben Joyce accelerated through the minor leagues with a fastball reaching 103 mph or higher. He reached 105.5 mph at Tennessee, which is is believed to be the hardest-thrown pitch in college baseball history.
Zach Joyce throws in the mid-to-upper 90s, but was perceived as a better prospect than Ben Joyce coming out of Walters State. Zach Joyce had Tommy John surgery in January 2020 and eventually stepped away from baseball while addressing personal issues. He returned to Tennessee after two years off in July 2022.
Zach Joyce was 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 10⅓ innings over 13 appearances in 2023 for Tennessee before his season was derailed by an injury in mid-April. He pitched once the rest of the season.
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“I saw him this fall at Tennessee and he looked great,” McIlvaine told the AP. “He was throwing the ball really well. He was spinning the ball really well, and the velocity started climbing back up.”
Ben Joyce made his major-league debut on May 29 after 14 minor league appearances. He was 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in five relief appearances before being placed on the injured list by the Angels.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: L.A. Angels take Zach Joyce — Ben Joyce's twin — in 2023 MLB Draft
