Pirates in the Playoffs: Matt Joyce
Outfielder Matt Joyce is a veteran outfielder who has made his way around Major League Baseball. Over his 13 year career, he has played for seven teams and made the postseason five times. One of those teams that he played for was the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2016 season. For Joyce, it was a move that would make or break the rest of his career. He was coming off a year where he spent more time on the Disabled List then he did actually playing on the field. He appeared in just 93 games for the Angels and hit a dismal .174 with five home runs and 21 RBI. The Angels had no room for Joyce in the outfield and he elected for free agency.
Towards the end of the off-season, Joyce still had no offers from any club and looked like he wasn't going to have a home in 2016. However, the Pirates wanted to add to their outfield depth and signed Joyce to a Minor League contract with an invite to Spring Training. They gave him a chance to prove himself as a fourth outfielder in Spring Training and make the Major League club. With a Major League roster spot in sight, Joyce had a lot of work ahead of him and some hefty competition in Spring Training. With McCutchen, Marte, and Polanco as the starting three, Joyce would have to battle to earn a spot on the Pirates bench.
From Non-Roster to Major League Player
When Joyce entered Spring Training with the Pirates, he was not guaranteed a roster spot. The Pirates were coming off of a season where they had won 98 games and, while they lost several key pieces, several key pieces were returning. So, Joyce barred down and showed he had what it took to still compete consistently at the Major League level. In 20 spring training games, Joyce hit .250 (10-40) with four home runs and nine RBI. Of the 10 hits he collected, six went for extra-bases and he ended up being one of the top run producers throughout the Spring. The Pirates saw that he could be a valuable asset off the bench, and ended up selecting his contract and naming him to their Opening Day roster.
Even though his initial role was as a fourth outfielder, Joyce ended up playing a much larger role for the 2016 Pirates. He ended up appearing in 140 of the 162 games for the Bucs that season and hit .242 with 13 home runs and 42 RBI. He proved himself the most valuable late in games when the Pirates needed him most. In the last three innings of the game, Joyce hit .250 with nine home runs and 23 RBI. The veteran revitalized his career and proved that he can be a reliable option off the bench. When Gregory Polanco dealt with injury issues during the season, Joyce stepped in in right field, playing 43 games there and 26 in left field.
The other key to being a strong bench player is being able to fill in with good defense in the field. Joyce did just that playing 402.2 innings in the outfield without committing an error. He added one outfield assist and filled in nicely when any of the Pirates outfielders needed a day off. He wasn't a defensive wizard by any stretch, but he did enough to make all the necessary plays for the Pirates. Joyce would elect free agency after the season and though his time was short in Pittsburgh, he made an impact and probably saved his career. He went from an outfielder down on his luck, to someone who could be an asset to a competitive team down the stretch.
A Journey to Miami
After leaving the Pirates, Joyce would bounce around the league dealing with injuries and spending short stints on different teams. He spent time with the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, and Atlanta Braves. He never had a full-time starting role but continued to succeed as a bench player/fourth outfielder. Even though he was starting to have success, he still wasn't finding his way back to the postseason as he had in the early 2010s. That was until the Giants traded him to the Braves just before the 2019 season for cash. he assumed his bench role once again for Atlanta and had one of his best seasons late in his career.
In 129 games for the Braves, he hit .295 with seven home runs and 23 RBI starting 34 of his 129 games played in the field. He ended up reaching the playoffs for the first time since the 2013 season. With a renewed passion and a taste of playoff baseball, the 36-year-old outfielder would once again move on testing the free-agent market. After losing 105 games the season before, the Miami Marlins were looking for a complete turnaround. They added some veterans to supplement their young talent already in place. One of those veterans was Joyce who signed on February 3rd to a Major League contract. He entered Spring Training as the veteran on the team looking to lead the charge.
However, the 2020 season has not gone as planned for Joyce, who missed the first couple weeks of the season with a shoulder injury. When he came back, he ended up appearing in 48 games for the Marlins and hit .252 with two home runs and 14 RBI. He still showed a little pop in the bat, but not nearly as much as he had in recent seasons. However, what the stats didn't show is how Joyce helped the Marlins young outfielders as they started to play competitive baseball. He has been rewarded so far by getting a start in each of the two Marlins playoff games against the Cubs. He is 1-5 with a double and two walks, while also throwing out a key run at the plate in those games. If it weren't for the Pirates taking a chance on Joyce, he might not be in the postseason in 2020.
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