Matt Joyce Career Tracker

04/28/2008 8:29 PM ET
Joyce on steady climb through Minors
Outfielder quietly impressing Tigers brass with solid play
By Scott McNeish / MLB.com

TOLEDO -- He's not one of the most-heralded names in the Tigers' system. He doesn't make many headlines or magazine covers. No, he just does his job consistently, and because of that, he has shot up the Minor League rungs and sits one step away from the Majors.

Matt Joyce represents part of a talented outfield cluster at Triple-A Toledo, but he differs from the rest. He is the team's Cinderella story, a pleasant surprise who shows no signs of slowing down.

In three short years, Joyce has gone from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla., to the starting right fielder in Toledo.

Along the way, he has not posted eye-popping statistics. Yet, the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has nonetheless developed into an attractive prospect -- not because he's a superstar in the making, but because he has the tools to become a solid everyday player.

"He's done very well so far," Toledo manager Larry Parrish said. "He was a guy that you worried about, because we sort of rushed him to Double-A and then here. But so far, so good."

Scout.com ranked Joyce as the 13th-best prospect this season in the Tigers' farm system, up 10 spots from last year. Baseball America labeled him the seventh-best prospect. In its projected 2011 Tigers starting lineup, the magazine has Joyce starting in right field, a position currently held by reigning American League batting champion Magglio Ordonez.

Not bad for a player who, three years ago, had the sixth-highest batting average for an NCAA Division II team.

"Every year has been a little more challenging," Joyce said. "I've just tried to get better along the way. That's what the whole Minor League experience is all about."

But his all-around game, especially his defense, tempted the Tigers to select him in the 12th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. In fact, his performance in the field earned him the title of best defensive outfielder in the Eastern League last year by Baseball America, which also named him the best defensive outfielder in the Detroit system.

Clete Thomas, who helped fill in for injured Curtis Granderson in Detroit before joining the Mud Hens last week, has the best outfield arm according to the magazine and Tigers manager Jim Leyland. But it's Joyce's overall abilities out there that have turned heads.

"He gets to the ball quickly, releases it quickly, and he's been very, very accurate the last few years with his throws," Tigers player development director Glenn Ezell said. "He doesn't have exceptional speed, but he always gets good reads. He plays a very, very solid outfield."

His impressive defensive skills developed when he patrolled the outfield for Florida Southern. The Mocs are annually the first game on the Tigers' Spring Training schedule, which provides the biggest thrill for most everyone who plays there.

"I remember the whole time just looking across the diamond and being wowed by those guys," Joyce said.

But then the game started, and Joyce made his presence known. Scouts took notice and scribbled in their notepads. Several of Joyce's teammates at FSC went in the 2005 Draft, meaning an abundance of scouts attended most games. Joyce's big plays against the Tigers, he believes, got him on their radar.

"I think I got them saying, 'Hey, this kid can play,'" Joyce said.

As fate would have it, the Tigers thought he could play well enough to add him to their organization. For Joyce, it was an easy fit. He had spent the previous four years in Lakeland, so he already knew the Tigers' facilities. He was already home, as Joyce put it.

This year, he had the thrill of seeing the Tigers-Florida Southern matchup from the Major League dugout.

At his current pace, Joyce should see his alma mater from that dugout often, as long as he continues to receive invites to spring camp and, he hopes, a spot on the Major League roster in coming years.

Joyce has jumped at least one Minor League level every year of his professional career. In 2005, he started at low Class A Oneonta, where he hit an impressive .332. The next season at Class A West Michigan, he hit .258, but added 11 home runs and 86 RBIs. That earned him a promotion in 2007 to Double-A Erie, where he overcame a slow start at the plate to hit .257 with 17 home runs and 70 RBIs. He skipped high Class A Lakeland, because the organization wanted to test him.

"We wanted to see if he could handle it," Parrish said.

"The first couple months last year were a test for him," Ezell said. But by working diligently with Erie hitting coach Glenn Adams, he was able to finish strong at the plate and pass the test.

His performance last season earned him an invitation to this year's Spring Training with the Tigers. He performed well, too, before being sent down March 12 in the first round of cuts.

Leyland had positive words for Joyce that day.

"[Leyland] said, 'Keep working hard. You got a good thing going, and you got a bright future,'" Joyce said.

They tested him again by sending him to Toledo, and he's been one of the Mud Hens' best run producers so far. He entered Monday with a .276 average, five home runs, 16 RBIs and an .894 OPS.

Among his homers was a much-talked-about blast onto the roof of the building beyond the right-field fence -- a pleasant surprise, just like him.

"I think the biggest thing he's got to do," Ezell said, "is feel confident that he can do some things. A lot of young players have that same deal. They can think about doing it, but the confidence has got to be there."

His sprint toward the Majors should slow for a while; the Tigers, when healthy, don't need outfield help. But when the day arrives that they do, Joyce said he will be ready.

"Right now, I'm really trying to be consistent in my approach," he said. "Everything else will take care of itself. That's the thing. If I do the little things, the big stuff will take care of itself."

Scott McNeish is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

This is actually good for me...now when I see the Mud Hens play I'll have heard of most of them!

Yeah, you could take my friends with you. They know everyone.

I need your connections, Mrs. Rabelo!

He could beter than maggs! Give him a shot!

maggsbgone wrote:

He could beter than maggs! Give him a shot!

Please learn english.

I want a Matt jersey....

TigersGirl wrote:

I want a Matt jersey....

talk to Mrs. Rabelo! She's probably already met him!

haha. He made an amazing catch last night! And I have to say... He's pretty hot.





Maggs will always be my tiger though!

he is kinda cute~

But I can't find any good pictures of him... How old is he?

it's hard because there's a Matt Joyce who plays for the Lions!

Proper Name: Matthew R. Joyce
Born: Aug. 3, 1984 in Riverview, Fla.
School: Florida Southern College Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 185
Bats: L Throws: R

Thats only like a 9 (?) year difference..... haha

lucky for you! that would be a nice age difference!

Tigers purchased the contract of outfielder Matt Joyce from Triple-A Toledo.

Joyce gets the nod over Clete Thomas and Brent Clevlen after hitting .299/.367/.536 for Toledo. The 23-year-old strikes out a lot and probably won't hit for average in the majors, but he does have decent power against right-handers and he's a quality defender in a corner. The Tigers will probably give him most of the starts versus righties for now, giving him some value in AL-only leagues.

Games by Position
2008 C: 0 1B: 0 2B: 0 SS: 0 3B: 0 OF: 2 DH: 1
2007 C: 0 1B: 0 2B: 0 SS: 0 3B: 0 OF: 0 DH: 0


Game Log - Last 3 Games
Date Team G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG

May 8 BOS 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 .000 .000

May 7 BOS 1 5 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 .400 .400 .400

May 5 BOS 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .333 .000

Career stats
Year Team G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS

2008 DET 3 11 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 .182 .250 .182 .432

laprimamirala wrote:

he's a quality defender in a corner.

well yah he is!! That catch last night... was amazing.

just don't get hurt, Matt! BTW he gives a really nice postgame interview!

Here is Matt in Lakeland during Spring Training 2008

05/09/2008 1:12 AM ET
Joyce has busy day in outfield
Filling in for Sheffield, rookie makes a play for the highlight reel
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Matt Joyce had a busy indoctrination to left field at Comerica Park.

After veteran Gary Sheffield had three relatively quiet days in left for the first three games of the Tigers' series against Boston, Joyce made his first start there and suddenly became the center of attention. He ended up with one of the highlight catches of the season so far in Detroit, a home run ball that he couldn't see as he nearly made a play at the fence and a throw to the plate that was so on target that it literally pegged the runner.

The highlight will be the most remembered, an outstretched dive in left-center field to rob Dustin Pedroia of what would have been an RBI extra-base hit in the fifth inning. It became a moot point when Kevin Youkilis homered two batters later, but it gave a glimpse of why Joyce had such a strong defensive reputation in the Tigers farm system.

Joyce had to decide right away whether to make a diving attempt on Pedroia's hit. If he went for it, he had to get it. Otherwise, Pedroia would've at least gone into third base. Joyce didn't hesitate.

"I usually get good jumps in the outfield," Joyce said. "I'm pretty confident in my ability to be a good outfielder. I got a great jump. I saw it really well off the bat. Just timed it well.

"It was cool. The crowd really got into it. I got goose bumps and chills from the crowd."

In contrast to that immediate read, Joyce had virtually no read at all on Youkilis' deep fly ball. The twilight conditions made for a difficult sky, something center fielder Curtis Granderson echoed after the game.

Joyce threw up his arms at one point to signal that he had no idea where the ball was, but he spotted it as it was coming down.

"I had no read," Joyce said. "I saw it go up. I knew he hit it well. I tucked my head and ran back. I was at the wall and I really could not find the ball until the last second. I thought I was in a good position. I saw it at the last second, and it was about 10 feet to my right. I tried to get to it, but I couldn't."

He was close enough that he estimated he came within a foot or two as he jumped.

The throw home came on Jason Varitek's two-run single in the second inning. His sharp ground ball glanced off third baseman Carlos Guillen's glove and into short left, and Joyce retrieved it and fired home. The ball hit J.D. Drew as he came in to score, but he wasn't injured. Varitek advanced to second, but he would have even had the throw gone through to catcher Brandon Inge.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Geez, we were there for 4 days and couldn't get decent pics!

Matt's hot, in more ways than one! :haha:

although he's young enough to be my kid!!

laprimamirala wrote:

TigersGirl wrote:

I want a Matt jersey....

talk to Mrs. Rabelo! She's probably already met him!

:haha:..... I did. My friends met him in spring training, and they have talked to him a few times in Toledo. They were at the game yesterday and we met up with them and he came over ans signed their poster so i weaseled my way in and got a picture with him.

They told me that under no circumstances am I allowed to like him :haha: but he is adorable!

laprimamirala wrote:

I need your connections, Mrs. Rabelo!

:haha: I'll share

mrsrabelo wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

I need your connections, Mrs. Rabelo!

:haha: I'll share

I know, mrsrabelo and all her pix and meeting players

iluvpudge7 wrote:

mrsrabelo wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

I need your connections, Mrs. Rabelo!

:haha: I'll share

I know, mrsrabelo and all her pix and meeting players

I need that kind of luck!

mrsrabelo wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

TigersGirl wrote:

I want a Matt jersey....

talk to Mrs. Rabelo! She's probably already met him!

:haha:..... I did. My friends met him in spring training, and they have talked to him a few times in Toledo. They were at the game yesterday and we met up with them and he came over ans signed their poster so i weaseled my way in and got a picture with him.

They told me that under no circumstances am I allowed to like him :haha: but he is adorable!

I'm sooooo jelous!!!

He is really cute though....

Yet another Tiger feast for the eyes!

Stop liking him mrsrabelo!

lol...she will be Mrs. Rabelo-Joyce!