John Means

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Born
1993 (32 years old)
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Olathe, Kansas

Position
Pitcher

Status
Active

Ethnicity
White

Team Number
47

Height
6' 3"

Weight
235

Outfitter

Kit

Side
Left

Wage Year

Player Cutout
No Cutout thumb

Archive

Full Body Render

Sport

Baseball

Team
Cleveland Guardians

League
MLB

Creative Commons Artwork
Yes

Description

John Alan Means (born April 24, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2018, and was an All-Star in 2019.

Career
Means attended Gardner Edgerton High School in Gardner, Kansas. He played for the school's baseball team, but was not recruited by any NCAA Division I college baseball program. The Atlanta Braves selected him in the 46th round of the 2011 MLB draft. He intended to sign with the Braves, but was injured when a Braves scout visited him, and the scout recommended he go to college. Means enrolled at Fort Scott Community College and played baseball at the junior college level for one year, before he transferred to West Virginia University to play for the West Virginia Mountaineers. In 2013, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In 2014, his junior year at West Virginia, he went 6–2 with a 3.13 ERA in 12 starts.

The Orioles selected Means in the 11th round, with the 331st overall selection, of the 2014 MLB draft. He pitched for the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Class A South Atlantic League in 2015. He threw a no-hitter for Delmarva in July. He pitched for the Frederick Keys of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League in 2016, before receiving a midseason promotion to the Bowie Baysox of the Class AA Eastern League. He returned to Bowie in 2017. In 2018, he was promoted to the Norfolk Tides of the Class AAA International League.

Major leagues
The Orioles promoted Means to the major leagues on September 24, 2018. Means was named to the team's Opening Day roster for the 2019 season. After three appearances out of the bullpen, pitching to a 1.59 ERA in 52⁄3 innings, Means was moved into the Orioles' starting rotation.

Means made his first career start on April 9 against the Oakland Athletics, pitching three innings while allowing one run. After two more appearances, Means tossed five innings of one-run ball on April 24 against the White Sox, earning his third win of the year and first as a starter. On May 6, he threw a career-high seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out four in a 4–1 win over the Red Sox.

On June 28, 2019, Means was selected to his first All-Star Game as a 26-year old rookie, his 2.50 ERA ranking second among American League pitchers for the first half of the season. Starting 27 of 31 pitching appearances, he completed his rookie campaign at 12–11 with a 3.60 ERA. He finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting. In the 2020 season, which was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Means pitched to a 4.53 ERA, 42 strikeouts and a 2–4 record over 43 2⁄3 innings pitched in 10 games pitched, all starts.

The Orioles selected Means as their Opening Day starting pitcher for the 2021 season.

Personal life
Means is married to former professional soccer player Caroline Stanley. Means has a younger brother, Jake, who played college baseball at Indiana State University before being selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 22nd round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft.

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