TEMPE, Ariz. — Each time that Ben Joyce pitches, his chances of breaking camp with the Angels seem a little more realistic.
Joyce, the Angels’ third-round pick last July, has not allowed a run in three games, and he hit 102 mph with his fastball during a perfect inning on Sunday.
Manager Phil Nevin said Joyce’s secondary pitches are most encouraging, though.
“He can hit 102 all he wants, but if that’s all you get over a plate and hitters know it, they’re gonna hit it,” Nevin said. “These are big league hitters, and they’ve done that before so he’s learning. His secondary stuff is getting better and better and it’s gonna make it much more effective.”
The Angels have used Joyce as the first reliever in his last two outings, allowing them to see him against big league hitters.
Still, there is more to evaluate than just the way he pitches. Nevin said they need to determine if Joyce is ready for the unrestricted schedule of a big league reliever. Joyce has only played a half a season as a professional, pitching 13 innings in 13 games at Double-A. In 2021, Chris Rodriguez made the Opening Day roster as a reliever, but the Angels closely monitored his workload so he was often unavailable.
“To have somebody out there you have to manage on a daily basis as far as his workload, who can only pitch on certain days, would be very difficult to have,” Nevin said.
POSITION SHIFTING
Infielder Andrew Velazquez was in the lineup in center field for Monday’s game, the start of what Nevin said will be a period of expanding the defensive roles for a variety of players.
With several of the Angels starters leaving for the World Baseball Classic, that creates more opportunity for Velazquez or Jared Walsh to play outfield, or Brandon Drury to play shortstop, Nevin said.
Infielders Luis Rengifo, David Fletcher and Gio Urshela can all play the corner outfield spots, which might allow the Angels to go without a true fourth outfielder if they want to keep an…
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