Los Angeles Angels right-hander Ben Joyce unleashes a pitch during a recent spring training outing at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
TEMPE – There may be no better way to develop a 6-foot-5 freak of nature who can hurl a baseball 105 mph than pairing him with one of the best closers of a generation, a player who has won on the game’s biggest stage.
That was the master plan that Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian had in mind during the offseason when he signed Kenley Jansen, a four-time All-Star and 2020 World Series champion closer, to mentor Ben Joyce, the Angels’ flamethrowing 24-year-old right-hander from the University of Tennessee.
“It’s going to be sick,” said Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe. “I know that Kenley’s mindset is, when he comes in, the game is over. And I know Joyce is adopting that same mindset, and I know how much Kenley is helping out that group in the bullpen.”
Jansen made his MLB debut in 2010 and brings 14 years of major league experience to share with Joyce, who was selected in the third round, 89th overall, by the Angels in the 2022 MLB Draft.
At 37, Jansen is still pitching at an elite level. He slammed the door for 27 saves in 31 attempts in 2024 for Boston while maintaining a 3.29 ERA over 54 appearances.
“Being a reliever, learning from Kenley has been a pleasure,” Joyce said. “His mentality that he takes to the field everyday and how he approaches the game out on the mound, knowing that the game is over and he is going to finish the game, that mentality rubs off on the young guys that we have.”
Jansen is also known for remaining available throughout his career. He has appeared in at least 50 games every year since 2011, except the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. And now he is providing Joyce with insight into remaining healthy.
“It’s been cool to have a guy like Kenley here, who can give me some more knowledge in the department of how they take care of their body for a full season,” said Joyce. “Seeing how he prepares his body to be able to pitch in the ninth inning everyday, three days in a row or whatever it might be, I have leaned on him a lot.”
Jansen has embraced the role of serving as a mentor for Joyce and wants to help him reach his ceiling to become one of the best relievers in the game.
“The kid is very special,” Jansen said. “He is going to accomplish a lot of things, the future is very bright for him, and I just try to spread wisdom to him whenever he needs. Both of us need to compete at a high level to help this ballclub.”
Joyce’s fastball instantly proved to be a dominant pitch when he started his professional career by striking out 20 batters in 13 innings while posting a 2.08 ERA for the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas in Madison, Alabama.
He was called up to the Angels in May 2023 and endured an up-and-down year as he flashed his potential with velocity that could make him one of the most intimidating relievers in baseball to face.
He also displayed signs of being rushed up to the majors too quickly as he suffered from ulnar neuritis, which landed him on the 60-day injured list, and struggled to command his heater at times, posting 8.1 walks per nine innings in his rookie season.
Joyce was sent down to Rocket City to begin the 2024 season, where the organization wanted him to continue his development.
“It’s tough mentally for sure,” Joyce said of going back down. “You get up there, and you want to stay there. It’s the dream that you have had since you were a little kid, and I think going back down, it humbles you a little bit. You realize you don’t know everything and that ‘I am not where I want to be.’
“And I think that was the best thing that could’ve happened for me, mentally, because I learned how to grind through those tough times.”
Joyce was called back up to the Angels in June 2024 and caught fire – or more accurately, threw fire. He posted a 2.08 ERA in the 2024 season with 33 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. Most importantly, Joyce lowered his walks per nine innings to 3.6.
Joyce attracted mainstream attention last season on Sept. 3, when he uncorked a 105.5 mph fastball to strikeout Tommy Edman of the crosstown rival Los Angeles Dodgers. It was the third fastest pitch ever recorded in the pitch tracking era that dates to 2008.
Veteran Kenley Jansen brings a winning mentality to the Los Angeles Angels bullpen that will be crucial this season as the team aims to end its playoff drought. (Photo by Luc Carter/Cronkite News)
“I don’t exactly know where it comes from,” Joyce said of his velocity. “My mechanics have gotten to this point where they work for my body, and I have built myself up strength wise and mobility wise to be able to handle it.
“And I think, at the end of the day, just always going out and playing catch, trying to throw and getting my body into the position where it can do that.”
Jansen has quite the decorated career and has seen just about everything in his time, yet he is still blown away by the talent that Joyce possesses.
“It’s unbelievable,” Jansen said. “At the end of the day, it’s not just about throwing hard with the stuff that he has, it’s also managing the game. And he showed he can do it last year. For me, it is just trying to make sure he’s always advanced and keeps learning on the fast track. That’s how he’s going to help us win ball games. We’re going to need everyone and especially him.”
Joyce made his first appearance of the spring Saturday against the Athletics. He dealt a scoreless inning, striking out one and allowing only one hit.
“I really wanted to execute my four-seam (fastball) first off, and I felt like I did that well,” Joyce said. “It was a good start, and I think I was able to get a few good off-speed pitches in there, but for me it was just pounding the zone and getting ahead which I felt I did pretty well but there is always room to improve.”
Jansen also made his first spring appearance against the Athletics. Like Joyce, he pitched a scoreless inning, retiring the three batters he faced in order.
This season Joyce will be half of a talented duo at the back-end of the Angels bullpen along with Jansen, a combination the Angels believe will lead to success. That, Jansen said, is what he cares about most.
“Let’s try to bring this team back to the winning culture, that’s all,” Jansen said. “It’s not about me, it’s about the team.”
Jansen has not played in the postseason the past two years with the Red Sox, a long drought by his standards. He looks to end his personal dry spell by assisting an Angels team that has the longest active playoff drought in the majors – 10 seasons without a postseason game.
“I understand that this is a young team, and nobody expects us to make the playoffs,” Jansen said. “But it’s up to us to go out there and prove that we belong here.”
His young counterpart in the bullpen has similar goals for the Angels in 2025.
“Whatever role I end up in, I want to be part of a winning team,” Joyce said. “I think we all want to win here and we know that we can win here, so our goal is to pitch in the postseason and see where we can go from there.”