Ben Joyce

Joyce hit a growth spurt that saw him grow 8 inches during his high school senior year. He touched 100 mph that spring. Four years later, he’s the hardest throwing college pitcher ever. Joyce touched 105 mph on multiple occasions this year and topped out at 105.5. He sat at 101 mph with a four-seamer that proved hittable at the lower end of his velocity range. His plus-plus slider may be a better pitch than his plus-plus fastball. It’s already hard (83-86 mph) with plenty of sweep. Only two batters put the slider in play during the regular season, although it’s currently a chase pitch he doesn’t throw for strikes. With two of the best pitches in the class, he’s probably the most famous pitcher not expected to go in the first round. The track record for highly drafted college relievers is extremely poor, and Joyce’s usage patterns at Tennessee give teams few insights into whether he can handle a pro workload. Joyce pitched on back-to-back days only once during the regular season and generally had three-to-four days between outings. Thanks to the pandemic and Tommy John surgery, Joyce has thrown roughly 50 innings since 2019.