Major League Baseball Pitcher

John Means | Biography

Professional Baseball Pitcher For The Baltimore Orioles

• By Ojasbi
• Update : August 31, 2021

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John Alan Means is a professional Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who plays for the Baltimore Orioles. 

Who is John Means?

John Alan Means is an American baseball pitcher who plays for the Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball. In 2018, he had his Major League Baseball breakthrough, and within 2019, it entitled him to the All-Star team. On 5 May 2021, he hurled the tenth no-hitter in Orioles history.

Early life and Education

John Alan Means was born on 24 April 1999 in Olathe, KS. He grew up in the same area. The self-claimed chubby boy had scarce options since enrolling in Gardner Edgerton High School for high school. He was a part of the baseball team but didn’t get appointed to any baseball programs. He concedes to having done pitching at Gardner-Edgerton High School but had always been more of a “thrower.”

Career

While in high school, although he was a member of the baseball team, but was not recruited by any NCAA Division I college baseball program. “I didn’t have any other offers.” Means said, “You call it, I didn’t have it: Division I, Division II, Division III.” 

However, he competed on a roster with Bubba Starling, a new Wilmington Blue Rocks outfielder chosen for the Kansas City Royals’ fifth overall selection in 2011. “At every match, we had scouts,” he said. “There were many more scouts in the crowd than real supporters.”

A Braves scout confronted him and encouraged him to sign with the team after the game because he saw something in Means that he thought was impressive. But, despite his best efforts, he could not have an agreement with the Braves because of his injury. 

As a result, he enrolled at Fort Scott Community College and started playing junior college baseball, where he went 6-0 with a 1.14 ERA in eight starts. “Junior college was very beneficial to me because it helped me to improve as a person since junior college is difficult and funding is scarce. You are trained how to play baseball, which is great,” he stated.

Thanks to Fort Scott Community College, Means pitched well enough in upstate New York. Randy Mazey, West Virginia University’s sole Division I coach, spotted him while evaluating a player picked by the Mountaineers’ former squad and took the plunge on him. The club was outside of the Big 12 Conference drew him in, as did the idea that he could continue playing in and near his home state. But it was the management that clinched the deal.

He was asked how he ended up at West Virginia University in an interview with The Frederick News-Post. He replied coaches referred him to him by contacting him to see whether he planned to return after his first year.“It all happened very quickly,” he said. “Working with the coaching staff was a pleasure. One of the reasons I choose West Virginia is because of this.” He also adds, “It was difficult to say no to all those guys with their resumes.”

Major League

When the Orioles wanted late-season pitching coverage, Means rendered his professional debut in September 2018 at Fenway Park. A year and a few days later, he made his final start of the season in Boston, throwing five innings and ending with a 3.60 ERA and a 12-11 record. Means was one of just 18 AL pitchers to allow no more than 1.34 home runs per nine innings while throwing at least 155 innings for a club that established a major league record for home runs allowed. Then, he threw a career-high seven innings in a 4–1 victory over the Red Sox on 6 May 2019. It allowed him only one run on three hits while striking out four.

Means was named to his first All-Star Game on 28 June 2019, with a 2.50 ERA that ranked second among American League pitchers for the first half of the season. He started 27 of 31 pitching appearances in his rookie season, going 12–11 with a 3.60 ERA. Similarly, he came in second, the American League Rookie of the Year voting in the same year.

Means has also been named the Orioles’ Opening Day starter for the 2021 season. On 5 May 2021, he struck out 12 batters while facing a minimum of 27 batters in a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners. Sam Haggerty, his single baserunner, passed on a missed third strike in the third inning and was caught attempting to rob second base. Means was also awarded the American League Player of the Week for 3 May to 9 May 2021.

Personal Life

Means has been married to Caroline Stanley for almost two years. He announced his marriage to Caroline Stanley, a retired professional soccer goalkeeper, on his Twitter account on 8 November 2019. The couple welcomed their first kid, a son, in 2020.