John Means

John Means

29-Year-Old PitcherSP
Baltimore Orioles
Out
Injury Elbow
Est. Return 7/14/2023
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Means made only two starts in 2022 before he required Tommy John surgery and missed the rest of the season. The left-hander started a throwing program in October and is likely to miss the first couple months of 2023, but he should be available by at least the All-Star break. He had a 3.62 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 134:26 K:BB across 146.2 innings during the 2021 campaign and should be a key piece of Baltimore's rotation once healthy, but his workload is likely to remain limited early on in his return from the procedure. Means' value could rise significantly if he returns ahead of schedule -- especially with Camden Yards being more pitcher friendly since the left-field fence was moved back -- though he may also need some time to round back into form while coming off a major elbow surgery. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#576
ADP
$Signed a two-year, $5.93 million contract with the Orioles in May of 2022.
Throws bullpen session
PBaltimore Orioles
Elbow
March 19, 2023
Means (elbow) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Saturday and incorporated his changeup, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The 29-year-old continues throwing off a mound and is no longer limited to just throwing his fastball. Means still has a long way to go in his rehab from Tommy John surgery, but he could rejoin the Orioles' starting rotation around the All-Star break if he can avoid any setbacks.
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Pitching Stats
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2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
68
Last 10 Games
68
Last 5 Games
68
How many pitches does John Means generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does John Means generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-2%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-51%
BAA vs LHP
2021
 
 
-3%
BAA vs RHP
2020
 
 
-11%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2020vs Left .233 174 42 10 38 9 0 5
Since 2020vs Right .228 606 132 24 130 15 1 36
2022vs Left .143 9 1 1 1 1 0 0
2022vs Right .292 25 6 1 7 0 0 0
2021vs Left .229 125 28 7 27 6 0 3
2021vs Right .223 465 106 19 98 15 1 27
2020vs Left .263 40 13 2 10 2 0 2
2020vs Right .234 116 20 4 25 0 0 9
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-48%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-50%
ERA on Road
2021
 
 
-39%
ERA on Road
2020
 
 
-68%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2020Home 5.20 1.18 90.0 2 8 0 7.8 1.9 2.2
Since 2020Away 2.73 0.94 102.1 6 4 0 8.4 1.3 1.7
2022Home 4.50 0.75 4.0 0 0 0 4.5 2.3 0.0
2022Away 2.25 1.75 4.0 0 0 0 11.3 2.3 0.0
2021Home 4.62 1.20 64.1 1 5 0 7.7 2.1 2.1
2021Away 2.84 0.90 82.1 5 4 0 8.6 1.2 1.6
2020Home 7.06 1.20 21.2 1 3 0 8.7 1.2 2.9
2020Away 2.25 0.94 16.0 1 0 0 6.8 1.7 2.3
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does John Means compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
3.50
 
K/9
7.9
 
BB/9
2.3
 
HR/9
0.0
 
Fastball
91.8 mph
 
ERA
3.38
 
WHIP
1.25
 
BABIP
.340
 
GB/FB
1.11
 
Left On Base
70.0%
 
Exit Velocity
81.5 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
1.9%
 
Spin Rate
2330 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
22.6%
 
Swinging Strike
11.1%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring John Means See More
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4 days ago
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164 days ago
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304 days ago
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326 days ago
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328 days ago
Jeff Stotts breaks down the injuries of White Sox outfielders Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert, who are both sidelined with lower extremity muscle injuries.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
On the surface, Means rebounded from 2020's disappointing campaign with numbers resembling 2019. However, in terms of peripherals, Means was much closer to 2020 when he ramped up his strikeouts. This is reflective of his style. His flyball nature, especially in Camden Yards, leaves Means among the league leaders in homers allowed. However, it also fuels a low BABIP, and since he's stingy with free passes (4.4 BB%), he generates a low WHIP. This leaves his ERA up to how many ducks are on the pond when he yields a long ball. In 2020, 77% of the runs Means surrendered came on a home run, compared to 70% last season. Durability is also an issue as Means has missed time two of the past three campaigns with left shoulder soreness. Means' perennially low WHIP is enticing, but his strikeouts aren't sufficient to balance possible ERA damage. Streaming is risky since Camden Yards mitigates home field advantage.
Means was an All-Star in 2019, though that says far more about the Orioles than about his own talents. His 4.41 FIP and 5.48 xFIP suggested that a fair amount of regression in his 3.60 ERA was due, and that did indeed happen, as he finished 2020 with a 4.53 ERA in 10 starts. While his ERA rose by nearly a run, his underlying numbers generally moved in an encouraging direction. His K% jumped from 19.0 to 23.9, due in part to a jump in fastball velocity from 91.8 to 93.8 mph. He also cut his BB% from 6.0 to 4.0 while increasing his groundball rate from 30.9% to 43.9%. The righty's ERA increase can be traced in large part to his massive jump in HR/FB rate from 9.9% to 21.8%, a number over which a pitcher typically doesn't exercise much control. While the new version of Means certainly isn't special, a locked-in starter who produces a league-average K% and an ERA around 4.50 does have value in deeper leagues.
Means broke camp in a relief role but quickly moved into the rotation, establishing himself as Baltimore's most dependable pitcher over the remainder of the season by winning 12 games -- no small feat on a 54-win team -- while posting a 3.73 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 27 starts. The lefty dealt with shoulder and biceps injuries over the summer, which coincided with his worst stretch of the season (5.18 ERA in July and August), though he rebounded in September and pitched into the seventh inning in five of his last seven starts. While Means does a good job limiting free passes (2.2 BB/9) and hard contact, he doesn't record many strikeouts (7.0 K/9) and allows too many homers (1.3 HR/9) while pitching in a tough division, which limits his fantasy upside. His spot in a weak Orioles rotation is safe, though indicators suggest Means was pitching over his head last season (4.41 FIP and 5.48 xFIP).
More Fantasy News
Throws off half-mound Monday
PBaltimore Orioles
Elbow
March 7, 2023
Means (elbow) threw 20 fastballs at about 50 percent intensity off a half-mound Monday, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner reports.
ANALYSIS
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Set for half-mound work next week
PBaltimore Orioles
Elbow
March 1, 2023
Means said Wednesday that he expects to advance from throwing off flat ground to throwing off a half-mound early next week, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Half-mound session pushed back
PBaltimore Orioles
Elbow
February 20, 2023
Means (elbow) said Monday that he plans on throwing his first bullpen session off a half-mound early next week, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Set for half-mound work
PBaltimore Orioles
Elbow
February 19, 2023
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Sunday that Means (elbow) is scheduled to throw off a half-mound at some point during the upcoming week, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.
ANALYSIS
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Nearing mound work
PBaltimore Orioles
Elbow
February 5, 2023
Means (elbow) said Sunday's he's throwing from 140 feet and expects to throw off a half-mound at the start of spring training, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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