A fresh start as a Pirate
PITTSBURGH — Matt Joyce’s 2015 season was so bad, he wondered whether he’d ever get a major league chance again.
He spent his winter in the Dominican Republic for the first time since he became an established major leaguer in 2008. He soon realized he no longer was an established major leaguer.
Even after a successful stint there, he found few offers awaiting him. His best option was to compete for Pittsburgh’s last bench spot on a minor league deal. He won that job, and has gotten on base at a superb .459 clip while starting sparingly.
After the Angels acquired him from Tampa Bay for reliever Kevin Jepsen in December 2014, Joyce hit .174 with a .272 on-base percentage and .291 slugging percentage in 2015. After seven straight seasons as a league-average hitter or better, he was one of baseball’s worst.
“I knew I was capable of having success at that level and being a good hitter, a good major league hitter,” Joyce said. “But last year was last year. It was a frustrating year, and it was nice to get a fresh start this year.”
The start, Joyce said, began before last year even ended. In September, he met four times with Southland-based hitting coach Craig Wallenbrock, who is widely credited with jump-starting the career of Detroit’s J.D. Martinez.
By then, he was hardly playing for the Angels. Joyce logged only six plate appearances after July 26, in part because of injury, in part because the Angels acquired other options, and in part because he couldn’t hit. He went his last 28 atbats with the team without a hit.
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said Friday he was not surprised that Joyce reversed the course of his career. He said it seemed to him that Joyce made the adjustments that the Angels’ coaches asked him to make, lowering his hands to achieve a smoother swing plane.
“He had kind of toyed with them last year, but I think he committed to them over the winter,” Scioscia said. “Just looking at the video we saw, he’s got a more consistent path to the ball.”
Short hops
Shortstop Andrelton Simmons is working out with the Class-A Inland Empire. He could begin a rehab assignment there next week. Simmons tore his left thumb May 8. … Left-hander Tyler Skaggs threw four innings in an extended spring game at the Angels’ Arizona complex. … Right-hander Nick Tropeano will not make his scheduled start Saturday. Jhoulys Chacin will replace him, on normal rest. The Angels said Tropeano would be undergoing additional tests.