Ben Joyce is one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball history, and the former Tennessee star and Farragut graduate's electric fastball is back in the major leagues.
After making his return to the Los Angeles Angels from labrum surgery in May 2025, Joyce has accounted for the Angels' 19 fastest pitches this season in just five innings.
Thirty-four of his 71 total pitches have registered over 100 mph, and the right-hander has recorded two saves and hasn't allowed a run in five appearances.
In a 1-0 win over the Royals on Aug. 16, Joyce threw a 104.5 mph fastball, which was the fastest pitch by an MLB reliever since the start of the 2025 season.
must see 📺
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) August 16, 2026
Ben Joyce records his second save of the season! pic.twitter.com/f5J1Np61AW
Joyce has been flashing his velocity on a national stage since his time at Tennessee. On May 1, 2022, against Auburn, he threw the fastest pitch in college baseball history at 105.5 mph. That season, he had a 2.23 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 32⅓ innings. He was selected No. 89 overall in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Angels and made his MLB debut in May 2023.
His twin brother, Zach Joyce, also pitched at Tennessee in 2023 and was picked by the Angels in the 14th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He retired in January 2025.
Joyce graduated from Farragut High School in 2018, where he was a relatively unheralded recruit. Having grown from around 5-foot-5 to 6-feet in high school, he enrolled at Walters State Community College along with his brother but missed his freshman year due to a stress fracture in his elbow. After his sophomore year, Joyce — by then 6-foot-5 — transferred to Tennessee ahead of the 2021 season.
Injuries have been a constant for Joyce throughout his career. He missed the 2021 season at Tennessee after undergoing Tommy John surgery and has missed time in every one of his four MLB seasons, including season-ending shoulder surgery in 2025 that also cost him much of the 2026 season after a setback during his rehab.
When healthy, though, Joyce has been a dynamic reliever. Across four MLB seasons, he has a 2.83 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 54 career innings.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former Tennessee star Ben Joyce back with Angels after injury, throws 104.5 mph pitch