Joyce striving for bounce-back season with Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. — Matt Joyce figures better days are ahead in 2016.
Then again, it would be hard for the veteran outfielder, who is in the Pirates’ spring training camp as a non-roster invitee, to play much worse than he did in 2015.
Joyce hit just .174 in 93 games for the Los Angeles Angels with five home runs and a .564 OPS. It was quite a fall for a player who was an above-average offensive player with the Tampa Bay Rays the previous five seasons before being traded and was selected to the All-Star Game in 2011.
Although Joyce had to settle for a minor league contract in free agency, he is upbeat following an offseason in which he decided to go back to the basics by playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic to rebuild is swing.
“I know I’m capable of being an All-Star player,” Joyce said. “I’ve always brought to the table having great at-bats, having great walks, and being on base a lot of times. For me, I feel like I can drive the ball in the gaps, I can hit the ball for power, and I feel like I can bring a lot to the table when I feel right. I feel right, and I’m ready.”
The Pirates are hopeful to get a bounce-back season from Joyce. They showed the eight-year veteran respect by putting his locker in the section of the clubhouse with 40-man roster players rather than those in camp on minor league contracts.
Joyce seemingly has a good chance to make the opening day roster. As a left-handed hitter, he would fit in well on a roster in which all three starting outfielders bat right-handed — McCutchen, left fielder Starling Marte and right fielder Gregory Polanco.
Joyce has been particularly effective against right-handed pitching, hitting .253 with a .795 OPS in his career, compared to .180 and .554 marks against left-handers.
“He’s got gap power, has good numbers against righties, could be a good bat of the bench, slow heartbeat,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “He’s a ballplayer.”
Joyce played winter ball for the first time since 2008, following his rookie season with the Detroit Tigers. He hit .301 with 24 RBIs in 42 games for the Gigantes del Cibao.
“I really grinded it out and worked hard to get better,” Joyce said. “I felt like I did well down there. And I walked away with a lot more confidence.
“It really is a game of adjustments. The game adjusts to you and you have to learn to adjust back. It’s amazing how many things go into the fundamental side, and the separation from the approach, and even the mechanics of your swing.”