How Fast Does Ben Joyce Throw? The 105.5 mph Answer
Joyce has reached the same astonishing speed in college and the majors. His average fastball, though, tells the more useful part of the story.
Ben Joyce has reached 105.5 mph in official games at two levels: once for Tennessee on May 1, 2022, and once for the Los Angeles Angels on September 3, 2024. Same number, different uniforms, two years apart. It is the sort of symmetry a baseball writer would be accused of inventing if the radar readings were not sitting there in the record.
The short answer
- Career maximum
- 105.5 mph
- Current historical rank
- Tied for third-fastest MLB pitch tracked since 2008
- 2026 four-seam average through August 12
- 101.3 mph
- 2026 sample
- 26 four-seam fastballs across four appearances
Two documented trips to exactly 105.5
| Date | Setting | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2022 | Tennessee vs. Auburn | Joyce reached 105.5 mph during four relief innings with six strikeouts. |
| September 3, 2024 | Angels vs. Dodgers | A 105.5 mph fastball struck out Tommy Edman in the ninth inning. |
The college outing was a whole bouquet of triple digits. Tennessee recorded 28 pitches at 103 mph or faster, including 15 at 104 or above and three at 105 or above. Joyce also gave the Vols four innings in a 5-3 victory. The maximum made the clips; the length of the outing made it especially strange.
In the majors, the 105.5 pitch finished an at-bat. Joyce struck out Edman and then glanced toward the Angel Stadium scoreboard. MLB's game story noted the smile that followed. At that moment the pitch ranked behind only Aroldis Chapman's 105.8 mph pitch in 2010 and 105.7 mph pitch in 2016 among tracked MLB deliveries.
Third place now has a roommate
Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski reached 105.5 mph against the Cubs on June 27, 2026. That tied Joyce for third-fastest since MLB pitch tracking began in 2008. So an accurate speed list now has four entries ahead of the rest: Chapman's two marks, then Joyce and Misiorowski together at 105.5. The tie does not shrink Joyce's pitch. It gives the number company.
Maximum speed is the souvenir
A pitcher's maximum and his average answer different questions. The maximum tells us the hardest single pitch he produced. Average velocity describes what hitters keep seeing. Through Joyce's first four MLB appearances of 2026, Baseball Savant lists 26 four-seam fastballs averaging 101.3 mph. That is a very small sample, and it should be labeled as one. It is also an average that would be a wild outlier for nearly anyone else.
There is an early-career echo in that figure. In his May 29, 2023, major-league debut, Joyce threw 11 sinkers and one cutter. The sinker averaged 101.3 mph and topped out at 102.2; 10 of his 12 pitches were strikes. He fanned two White Sox hitters and left with a scoreless inning, plus a lineup card from the Angels as a keepsake.
Keep the gasp, keep the footnote
Joyce's verified answer is 105.5 mph. His current working answer is a four-seamer averaging 101.3 in a limited 2026 sample. Both belong in the conversation. The first number makes a person blink; the second explains why the at-bats can feel so hurried. And somewhere between them is that quick scoreboard glance in 2024, followed by a grin. For once, the radar gun had delivered a punch line everybody could enjoy.
Sources
Every factual claim above traces to one of these. Links open in a new tab.
- Joyce and Beck Power No. 1 Vols in Sunday Win over No. 17 Auburn
- Ben Joyce throws 105.5 mph pitch
- Ben Joyce Stats: Statcast, Visuals and Advanced Metrics
- 105.5 mph? The Miz takes heat to another level in Brewers win
- Joyce flashes 102 mph heat in stellar debut
- Ben Joyce's belt-breaking velocity turned him into an MLB draft case study
