John Means

John Means

30-Year-Old PitcherSP
Baltimore Orioles
60-Day IL
Injury Elbow
Est. Return 8/1/2023
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
RANKSFrom Preseason
#578
ADP
$Signed a two-year, $5.93 million contract with the Orioles in May of 2022.
Suffers upper back strain
PBaltimore Orioles
Elbow
May 26, 2023
Orioles general manager Mike Elias revealed Friday that Means (elbow) recently suffered a muscle strain in his upper back, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The strain is in the scapular area, although it's not clear whether it's to his left (throwing) shoulder or right shoulder. This represents a fairly significant setback for Means in his ongoing recovery from Tommy John surgery. He had been on track to join the Orioles around the All-Star break but he can probably now be ruled out through at least the end of July.
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Pitching Stats
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2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
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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Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-1%
BAA vs LHP
2023
No Stats
2022
 
 
-51%
BAA vs LHP
2021
 
 
-3%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2021vs Left .224 134 29 8 28 7 0 3
Since 2021vs Right .227 490 112 20 105 15 1 27
2023vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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
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Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-39%
ERA on Road
2023
No Stats
2022
 
 
-50%
ERA on Road
2021
 
 
-39%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2021Home 4.61 1.17 68.1 1 5 0 7.5 2.1 2.0
Since 2021Away 2.81 0.94 86.1 5 4 0 8.8 1.3 1.6
2023Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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
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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
Mound Musings: A Look at Pitching in the AL East
84 days ago
Brad Johnson continues his analysis of pitching in each division with the AL East, where in Toronto Johnson anticipates Alek Manoah will have another spectacular season.
MLB Barometer: End-of-Season Risers and Fallers
244 days ago
For his end-of-year-wrap-up, Erik Halterman goes by round to list his risers to see how they performed vs. their earned auction value ranking, starting with Mookie Betts in Round 1.
The Z Files: Sometimes, Crime Does Pay
May 20, 2022
Todd Zola examines the league-wide stolen-base environment and identifies some speedy players who could be valuable as streaming options, including Andres Gimenez.
MLB: Prospect Mailbag 4/27/22
April 28, 2022
James Anderson answers over 65 questions from his Twitter followers, including his excitement over Julio Rodriguez's seven-steal month.
Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: White Sox Outfielders Sidelined
April 26, 2022
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 breaking balls in bullpen
PBaltimore Orioles
Elbow
April 9, 2023
Means (elbow) threw breaking balls in Saturday's bullpen session, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Up to 30-pitch bullpen sessions
PBaltimore Orioles
Elbow
April 4, 2023
Means (elbow) said Tuesday that he's up to 30 pitches in his bullpen sessions, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Placed on 60-day IL
PBaltimore Orioles
Elbow
March 30, 2023
The Orioles placed Means (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.
ANALYSIS
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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.
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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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