Matt Joyce, Left Field

Date of Birth: 8/3/1984
Birthplace: Tampa, Florida
College: Florida Southern College

Matt Joyce, left fielder, was first drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2005. After three and a half years in the minor leagues, Joyce was called up to the Tigers in 2008 to play in 92 games with them. That season, he batted .252 with 61 hits, 16 doubles, and 12 home runs.

In December, 2008, the Tigers traded Joyce to the Tampa Bay Rays. He played in just 11 games with the Rays the following season, spending the rest of the time in the minor leagues. He was on the DL in 2010, playing in just 77 games with the Rays that year.

Joyce had a strong season in 2011 when he had 128 hits, 32 doubles, 19 home runs, 13 stolen bases, and a batting average of .277. The next year, he had a wrist injury that limited his playing time to 124 games. In 2013, he batted .235 with 97 hits, 22 doubles, and 18 home runs in 140 games. He finished the 2014 season with 106 hits, 23 doubles, 52 RBIs, and a .254 batting average in 140 games.

Joyce was traded to the Los Angeles Angels on December 16, 2014. He played in 93 games with the Angels in 2015, batting just .174 with 43 hits. In a collision in late July, he suffered a concussion and spent time on the DL.

Joyce signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on February 20, 2016. He finished the 2016 season with 56 hits, 13 home runs, 42 RBIs, and a .242 batting average in 140 games. Defensively, he played 26 games in left field and 43 games in right field.

Joyce signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Oakland Athletics on November 30, 2016. He finished the 2017 season with 114 hits, 33 doubles, 25 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 113 strikeouts to 66 walks in 141 games. Defensively, as a right fielder in 115 games, he made 205 putouts and 7 errors.

Joyce spent time on the DL in 2018 with a lumbar strain. He finished the season with 43 hits and a .208 batting average in 83 games. Defensively, he played 49 games in left field, 3 games in center field, and 6 games in right field.

Joyce became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians on February 9, 2019. He was released on March 19th, and a day later, he signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves on March 24th. He finished the season with 59 hits and a .295 batting average in 129 games with the Braves. In the postseason, he had one hit in 10 at-bats in 5 games.

Joyce became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed with the Miami Marlins on February 3, 2020. He played in 46 games in 2020, and he finished the season with 32 hits, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 14 RBIs, 41 strikeouts to 20 walks, and a .252 batting average. Defensively, he played 15 games in left field and 27 games in right field. In the postseason, he batted .182 with 2 hits in 11 at-bats in 5 games.

Joyce elected free agency on October 28, 2020. He signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on February 10, 2021. He spent time on the IL in 2021 with a calf strain and back strain. The Phillies released him on September 26th. He played in just 43 games with them and he batted .091. After the season ended, he played in the Dominican Winter League.

Career batting statistics for Joyce through 2021 include:

• 1,400 games played
• 898 hits
• 206 doubles
• 149 home runs
• 503 RBIs
• 935 strikeouts to 559 walks
• .242 batting average

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Matt Joyce
ESPN - Matt Joyce