John Means

31-Year-Old PitcherSP

Cleveland Guardians

Out

Injury Elbow

Est. Return 9/1/2025

2024 Stats

W-L

2-0

ERA

2.61

WHIP

0.87

2025 Projections

W-L

ERA

WHIP

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2025 Fantasy Outlook

There was no outlook written for John Means in 2025. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.

RANKS

From Preseason

#362

ADP

League Majors

Bats L

Throws L

40 Man Yes

Height 6'3"

Weight 230

DOB 4/24/1993

Born Olathe, KS

College West Virginia

Drafted 11th Rd 2014 BAL

Signs on with Cleveland

PCleveland Guardians

Elbow

February 17, 2025

Means (elbow) agreed Monday with the Guardians on a one-year, $1 million contract that includes a $7.5 million club option for 2026, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

ANALYSIS
The two sides reportedly had made progress on a deal over the weekend and now they've crossed the finish line. Means underwent his second Tommy John surgery last June and could miss the entire 2025 season, so the Guardians are essentially making a roll of the dice on him for 2026. The left-hander has made just 10 starts at the major-league level since 2022 due to injuries but held a 3.62 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 134:26 K:BB over 146.2 frames covering 26 starts in 2021.

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Pitching Stats

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2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2024 MLB Game Log

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2023 MLB Game Log

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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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Minor League Game Log

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Pitching Appearances Breakdown

Average Pitch Count

Last 10 Games

Last 5 Games

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 2022

-45%

BAA vs LHP

2024

-100%

BAA vs LHP

2023

-18%

BAA vs RHP

2022

-51%

BAA vs LHP

	BAA	Batters	K	BB	H	2B	3B	HR
Since 2022vs Left	.119	47	7	3	5	2	0	2
Since 2022vs Right	.218	155	26	5	32	7	1	4
2024vs Left	.000	15	3	1	0	0	0	0
2024vs Right	.254	65	13	1	16	4	1	2
2023vs Left	.182	23	3	1	4	1	0	2
2023vs Right	.150	65	7	3	9	3	0	2
2022vs Left	.143	9	1	1	1	1	0	0
2022vs Right	.292	25	6	1	7	0	0	0
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Home/Away Pitching Splits

Since 2022

-77%

ERA on Road

2024

-100%

ERA on Road

2023

-63%

ERA on Road

2022

-50%

ERA on Road

	ERA	WHIP	IP	W	L	SV	K/9	BB/9	HR/9
Since 2022Home	4.50	0.88	26.0	1	2	0	4.8	0.3	1.7
Since 2022Away	1.03	0.84	26.1	2	0	0	6.5	2.4	0.3
2024Home	5.06	1.13	10.2	1	0	0	5.9	0.0	1.7
2024Away	0.00	0.60	10.0	1	0	0	8.1	1.8	0.0
2023Home	3.97	0.71	11.1	0	2	0	4.0	0.0	2.4
2023Away	1.46	0.73	12.1	1	0	0	3.6	2.9	0.7
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
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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

8.00

K/9

7.0

BB/9

0.9

HR/9

0.9

Fastball

90.5 mph

ERA

2.61

WHIP

0.87

BABIP

.249

GB/FB

0.44

Left On Base

78.9%

Exit Velocity

81.2 mph

Barrels/BBE

6.4%

Spin Rate

2277 rpm

Balls Hit 95+ MPH

32.1%

Swinging Strike

11.6%

Advanced Pitching Stats

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Defensive Stats

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Stats Vs Today's Lineup

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Guardians Depth Chart

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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring John Means See More

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

Means underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2022. He was ticketed for a return around the All-Star break, but he was diagnosed with an upper back strain in May, putting his rehab on hold. Means finally made it back for four starts in September. He posted a 2.66 ERA and .72 ERA over those 23.2 innings, but don't get too excited as Means fanned only 10 batters while surrendering four homers. He benefited from a .130 BABIP and 88.7 percent left on base mark, both which would have corrected if he compiled more innings. Most importantly, Means' velocity and control were at pre-surgery level, and starting four games should allow Means to undergo a regular offseason. Even so, with fewer then 50 frames thrown last season (including rehab games), Means 2024 workload will likely be capped. He should benefit from the 2022 renovations in Camden Yards, but Means has never been a strikeout hurler, so he remains subject to the whims of batted ball fate. If someone wants to draft last season's small sample, by all means, let them.

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.

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

Shifted to 60-day IL

PBaltimore Orioles

Elbow

June 13, 2024

The Orioles transferred Means (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Thursday.

ANALYSIS
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Second career Tommy John surgery

PBaltimore Orioles

Elbow

June 3, 2024

Means underwent successful Tommy John surgery Monday in Texas to repair a torn UCL in his left elbow, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

ANALYSIS
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Needs UCL surgery

PBaltimore Orioles

Elbow

May 31, 2024

Orioles general manager Mike Elias announced Friday that Means will undergo surgery to repair the UCL in his left elbow and will miss the rest of the season, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

ANALYSIS
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Seeking second opinion

PBaltimore Orioles

Forearm

May 24, 2024

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Friday that Means will get a second opinion on his throwing elbow, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

ANALYSIS
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Heads to IL with strained forearm

PBaltimore Orioles

Elbow

May 23, 2024

The Orioles placed Means on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a left forearm strain, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

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Latest Fantasy Rumors

Nearing deal with Cleveland?

PFree Agent

February 16, 2025

According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, the Guardians are in advanced contract talks with Means, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

ANALYSIS
The left-hander underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career in June, so a two-year deal could be in the works since he's likely to be sidelined for most, if not the entirety, of 2025. Means has a career 3.68 ERA in the big leagues, but injuries have limited him to just 10 starts across the past three seasons.

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