Tennessee pitcher Zach Joyce selected by the Los Angeles Angels in 2023 MLB Draft

I hope Zach Joyce likes the West Coast. The Los Angeles Angels selected the Tennessee pitcher with the No. 414 overall pick in the 14th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

After not playing last year for the Vols despite attending UT, Joyce boasted a 4.35 ERA this season in 10.1 innings pitched. Despite limited playing time, Joyce had multiple peak moments. Perhaps his best showing was when he pitched a scoreless inning and struck out one in his SEC road debut against Missouri.

Joyce began his collegiate career at Walters State Community College. However, after having two solid seasons, he committed to Tennessee. That commitment quickly shifted sideways as Joyce announced he would step away from baseball for a year. Now, Joyce has an opportunity to head to the MLB.

Zach Joyce was unranked by Perfect Game coming out of high school. The 6-foot-4 Tennessee native was under most teams’ radars although his twin brother, Ben Joyce, was a notable high school pitcher. Now, Zach Joyce has the chance to join his brother on the Los Angeles Angels.

More on the 2023 MLB Draft

The 2023 Major League Baseball Draft will begin during All-Star week, with the first two rounds getting underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 9. Rounds 3-10 will then begin at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, July 10, with rounds 11-20 starting at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 11.

This year’s MLB Draft is a historic one, as a draft lottery was used to determine the order for the first time. The Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics each had a 16.5% chance to receive the No. 1 overall pick. Ultimately, Pittsburgh won the right to have the first selection, with Washington finishing right behind them at No. 2. Oakland, however, fell all the way down to No. 6 overall.

While the MLB Draft is always unpredictable, the consensus is that this year’s top prospects both hail from LSU, who won the 2023 College World Series. Pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews headline this year’s class, which is considered a deep one.

Within the first ten rounds of the draft, each slot is assigned a certain value. Each team has a bonus pool that they are able to spend on these picks, and players will sign at, above or below their assigned slot value.

In rounds 11-20, there is no assigned slot value and MLB teams are free to spend up to $150,000 to sign their picks from the second half of the draft. If they exceed the $150,000 mark, that added amount will be deducted from their bonus pool.

Following the final day of the 2023 MLB Draft, selected players will have until August 1 to sign a contract.