Potential Royals 2022 Draft Target: Tennessee RHP Ben Joyce
In this story:
The 2022 MLB Draft is scheduled to begin on July 17 and is permanently switching to a 20-round draft over three days. The first two rounds— plus the compensation and competitive balance rounds — will come on opening night.
Reaching Royalty is a series designed to keep Kansas City Royals fans in the loop about potential prospects to keep an eye on heading into this summer's draft.
Ben Joyce, RHP Tennessee
Tennessee pitcher Ben Joyce (44) on the mound to pitch against Alabama during an NCAA baseball game in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, April 17, 2022. Kns Us Base Alabama
Ben Joyce has been absolutely dominant in his first season in the bullpen for No. 1 ranked Tennessee and has increased his draft stock tremendously. Joyce was the No. 81 ranked player in the state of Tennessee coming out of high school but despite being able to throw 100 mph, he did not get as much attention as he should have and ended up committing to Walters State Community College.
Joyce did not see any appearances as a true freshman but struck out 35 batters in 20.2 innings pitched as a sophomore in 2020. The ERA was not great at 4.79, and Joyce had to have Tommy John surgery after the season. This made him sit out all of 2021 before making his Vols debut this season.
Tommy John did not do anything to slow down the flamethrower — it actually made his velocity increase to an extremely rare clip.
So far this season, Joyce has struck out 32 batters and walked six in 17 innings while allowing batters to hit just .133 off of him. For those who don't want to do the math, that is a 16.9 K/9 rate. This is thanks largely to the fact he is now throwing 100-plus mph with ease and running it up to 104. This has turned him into the most electric arm in the 2022 draft class.
Pair this with his wipeout slider, and Joyce has turned into a guy that could be a dominant bullpen arm in the bigs sooner rather than later. His slider has been a huge focus according to scouts, and it seems to just keep getting better. This overlay shows the dramatic difference between his top two pitches.
Despite all of the buzz, Joyce has seemed to get this season, he is still not popping up in the first round of many mock drafts. This is something that could be changing the further the Volunteers get into the dominant season they have put together so far. The Vols look like a sure thing for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and appear poised to make a run to Omaha. The more exposure they get, the more Joyce will get his chance to shine alongside the stacked Tennessee roster.
When it is all said and done, Joyce will be a very hard arm to pass on and will most likely slide his way into the top-40 consideration.
Why Joyce should intrigue the Kansas City Royals
Tennessee pitcher Ben Joyce (44) smiles as he walks to the dugout after striking out his first batter during the NCAA baseball game against Alabama in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, April 17, 2022. Kns Us Base Alabama
The Royals have pieced together a very solid bullpen, but are still missing a dominant closer. Josh Staumont and Scott Barlow have shown the ability to close games, but are not long-term solutions at the closer position in my opinion.
You know who could be a long-term solution? A guy that pumps 104 mph and has a very fluid delivery. Joyce's stuff is attractive — like, very attractive — and could make him a dominant big-league reliever very soon. Adding him into the mix of a bullpen that already has flamethrowers like Staumont, Dylan Coleman, Jake Brentz and Amir Garrett is a very intriguing thought.
Joyce is another guy I think could be very attractive for Kansas City in the back half of Day 1.
