John Means’ Journey to Becoming Birdland’s Number One Starter

When John Means arrived at Ed Smith Stadium in February of 2019, almost no one could have predicted how the next six months would pan out for the left-hander. Then 25 years old, Means entered that Spring Training with exactly seven days of big league service time.

He was the very last roster addition of the 2018 season – the 56th player to be called upon by the Orioles. It was so late in the year – September 24, with just one week of the season remaining – that Means had already gone home to Kansas City to begin his offseason. Still, no matter how late it came, he couldn’t have been more excited to get his first call to the Major Leagues.

He joined the big league roster on September 24 and made his debut two days later at Fenway Park, working 3.1 innings in relief in game one of a doubleheader. It wasn’t perfect; he allowed five runs on six hits, including a three-run homer to J.D. Martinez, in a 19-3 loss. But it was better than the alternative of sitting at home hundreds of miles away.

Flash forward five months to Spring Training 2019, his first at Major League camp. After surviving several rounds of cuts throughout the spring, Means found himself in a position that seemed completely improbable just five weeks earlier. He was among the final players hoping to make the Opening Day roster, and on the very last day, he was informed he had done just that.

The rest of his rookie season was a whirlwind. He started the year just hoping to avoid being optioned, and certainly wasn’t looking to become the staff ace. But as each week went by, his status as a Major Leaguer became more and more permanent. He proved himself with an incredible first half, posting a 2.50 ERA, the best among any rookie in club history (minimum 80 innings). That led to American League All-Star honors, the Orioles’ lone representative in the Midsummer Classic and just the fifth rookie in Orioles history to earn All-Star recognition. Means continued to impress throughout the second half, becoming one of three finalists for the American League Rookie of the Year award.

He entered his sophomore season with high expectations, hoping to build upon his successful first year. But 2020, a year that was exceptionally challenging both in baseball and around the globe, presented more hardships than triumphs.

When the season finally began in late July, Means struggled to find success on the mound. He began the season on the Injured List, forced to miss what would have been his first Opening Day start. When he did return, he failed to pitch into the sixth inning in each of his first five starts, posting an 8.59 ERA with six 14 runs allowed in just 14.2 innings.

None of that mattered, though, compared to the heartbreak he was experiencing off the field. In early August, Means’ world changed forever when his father, Alan, passed away after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Despite dealing with this unspeakable loss, Means was able to turn things around in the latter half of the season. He rebounded during the month of September, posting a 2.48 ERA (8 ER/29.0 IP) with three Quality Starts in five games, including a career-high 12 strikeout game on September 20 vs. Tampa Bay.

After an eventful offseason that saw the birth of his first child, Means entered the year ready to return to his 2019 form. He was tabbed the team’s Opening Day starter and proved worthy of that honor with one of the best performances of his career in the season opener at Boston. With 7.0 one-hit, shutout innings, he became the first pitcher in franchise history to work at least 7.0 innings and allow one-or-fewer hits in an Opening Day start.

Orioles Magazine caught up with the 27-year-old lefty to discuss the highs and lows of his young career, and how he expects to move forward in his third big league season.

How would you describe the 2020 season, and what lessons did you learn from it?

I would describe it as a steppingstone to where I’m going – a little bit of a learning curve for sure. I went through a lot and I think I learned a lot about myself, both with baseball and mentally in life. I look at it is a growth year more than anything.

How different does it feel being in the clubhouse now as opposed to the start of your rookie season?

Very different. In 2019, I was honestly hoping not to get designated for assignment. Because I was the last person called up the year before, I thought I’d probably get DFA’d during Spring Training and sent back to minor league camp. But I ended up getting an invite. I was the corner locker next to the water cooler, so I was deemed the water boy the entire camp. [Now] it’s a little bit different; I have some younger guys coming up to me and picking my brain a little bit, which is the opposite of what happened in 2019.

Do you feel like your experience allows you to be an example to younger players that things can change really quickly and to keep pushing forward?

Yeah, I think I can probably help some of these guys coming up, especially the ones that have been in the minor leagues for a while. I can give [perspective] that it’s not that much different from the minors. I was a guy that never had that much success in the minor leagues; I did okay. But just coming up and not trying to change too much, not trying to let the game get too big. What helped me out the most is just going in with a clean slate and leaving it all on the field.

There was one point when you weren’t so sure about your baseball future – you even made a LinkedIn profile in case it didn’t work out. What advice would you give to a player that might be feeling that way right now?

Obviously, you want to keep pushing until someone rips the jersey off your back. That’s something you kind of hear coming up: you’re playing a kids’ game for a living. You’re still getting paid, you’re still getting to play. There is a time that you need to settle down with family, maybe if you have children. But if you don’t have to stop for those kinds of responsibilities, then I’d say you have to keep pushing for as long as you can because you never really know what can happen. This game is a lot of luck – I mean, I wouldn’t have made any other team in the league in 2019 besides the Orioles. It’s one of those situations [you find yourself in] where you just find yourself and then you make the most of it.

What has it been like to be Major League teammates with guys you came up with in the minor leagues?

It’s a cool situation. It’s pretty different than what a lot of teams go through. Usually, you only get a couple of guys that you came up with that end up being on the big league roster with you. With us, it’s nice that we are so young and that we get to be with the guys we came up with and have spent so much time with in the lower levels on bus rides and lunch dates, all trying to make it up here. It’s really cool. Tanner [Scott], Stevie [Wilkerson] – those are a couple of guys from my draft class that I’ve gotten to experience this with and be at every level together.

What are your goals and expectations for the 2021 season?

Just growing as a team. I know COVID might make things difficult, but hopefully we can find a way to bring everyone together – just talk and hang out – to and really build on our good clubhouse vibe.