John Means

Baltimore Orioles
Pos: SP | Hand: L
Status: Active
player props
FPTS 2 5 7 10 12 15 17 20 22 25 SAL $6.4K $6.8K $7.2K $7.6K $8K $8.4K $8.8K $9.2K $9.6K $10K
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 4.85
  • FPTS: 7.05
  • FPTS: 24.7
  • FPTS: 0
  • FPTS: 16.45
  • FPTS: 0
  • SAL: $6.3K
  • SAL: $6.4K
  • SAL: $6K
  • SAL: $6K
  • SAL: $6K
  • SAL: $6K
  • SAL: $10K
  • SAL: $6K
  • SAL: $6.2K
  • SAL: $6.2K
  • SAL: $8K
  • SAL: $6.5K
  • SAL: $7.5K
  • SAL: $7.3K
  • SAL: $7.4K
  • SAL: $6.8K
06/20 06/26 07/08 07/19 07/21 07/24 08/04 09/05 09/07 09/12 09/19 09/23 09/27 09/29 10/07
Date Opp DKSAL FDSAL DKFPTS FDFPTS k ip ab sho w hra l er cg ha 3ba bba sba ibba whip hbp qstart 1ba k/9 2ba
2023-10-07 vs. TEX $6.8K $8K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-09-29 vs. BOS $7.4K $7.4K 16.45 29 4 6 22 0 0 1 1 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0.47 0 1 1 5.68 1
2023-09-27 vs. WSH $7.3K $7.6K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-09-23 @ CLE $7.5K $7.6K 24.7 41 4 7 25 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0.27 1 1 0 4.91 0
2023-09-18 @ HOU $6.5K $8K 7.05 15 1 5 21 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 3 0 0 1.4 0 0 1 1.8 3
2023-09-12 vs. STL $8K $9.1K 4.85 9 1 5 20 0 0 2 1 3 0 4 0 0 1 0 0.8 0 0 2 1.8 0
2023-09-06 @ LAA $6.2K $5.5K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-09-04 @ LAA $6.2K $5.5K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-08-04 vs. NYM $6K $5.5K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-07-24 @ PHI $10K $5.5K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-07-21 @ TB $6K $5.5K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-07-19 vs. LAD $6K $5.5K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-07-08 @ MIN $6K $5.5K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-06-26 vs. CIN $6K $5.5K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-06-20 @ TB $6.4K $7.3K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-06-17 @ CHC $6.3K $7.3K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-06-14 vs. TOR $6K $7.3K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-06-13 vs. TOR $6K $7.3K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-05-27 vs. TEX $6.5K $7.3K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-05-08 vs. TB $6K $7.3K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-04-26 vs. BOS $6K $7.3K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023-04-14 @ CHW $6.2K $7.3K 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022-04-13 vs. MIL $6K $7.8K 7.2 12 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 0.75 0 0 1 4.5 1
2022-04-08 @ TB $15.3K $8.1K 12.8 24 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 0 1 0 0 1.75 0 0 6 11.25 0

John Means Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Consider Me Intrigued

I'll be honest: John Means is the last pitcher I thought I would find myself touting. I was big time anti-Means last season as advanced metrics viewed him in a much less favorable light than his ERA but 2020 Means - despite his 7.71 ERA through two starts - has me intrigued. First though, there are two things I don't love about this spot for Means - the matchup and the weather. But, beggars can't be choosers, and those things could lead to Means seeing *extremely* low ownership on a slate largely devoid of strong pitching after the top two options. So, what intrigues me about Means? His crazy increase in fastball velocity. Means, who sat in the 91-92 mph range last season, is pumping 94-96 mph through his first two starts of the year. Means unsurprisingly didn't have a whole lot of success in his first start of the year against a loaded Yankees lineup but showed some signs against the Marlins striking out 4 over 4.2 IP. Even if Means doesn't pay off on Sunday's slate, he's someone worth monitoring moving forward.

Six of nine Rangers tonight have a 26+ K% vs LHP this year

John Means has gone seven innings in back to back starts, allowing a total of three runs without a walk and 11 strikeouts. He’s more contact management (31.1% 95+ mph EV, 6.6% Barrels/BBE) than strikeouts (19.2%), but his 9.6 HR/FB is quite the accomplishment in a season when Baltimore pitching has shattered the previous HR record, even if it’s probably not sustainable in this environment. Thus, his 3.55 ERA is quite a bit lower than estimators (4.40 FIP, 4.65 DRA, .304 xwOBA), but he’s still likely at least an average arm. That puts him in a great spot tonight at a low price on DraftKings ($6.1K). Outside of a short stretch post-All-Star game, the Rangers have been terrible against LHP this year (83 wRC+, 26.3 K%). Six of the nine batters in tonight’s lineup are above a 26 K% vs LHP this year. Over the last week, the Rangers have just a 59 wRC+, 19 K-BB% and 10.9 HR/FB. Baltimore is not a pitcher friendly park, but Means is far too cheap in this spot.

He Means Business

It's never exciting playing an Orioles pitcher, especially at home, but John Means continues to quietly roll along, piling up innings and easy outs. After a short downturn, he's gone right back to form with back to back seven inning outing with his excellent control and limited hard contact. While strikeouts aren't his game, this Rangers team offers a lot of K upside to lefties.

Don't Feel Good About It

I never feel good about taking a pitcher in a high total game who has a terrible bullpen behind him. That said, there aren't a lot of good cheap pitchers on this slate, and Means does have a little upside against this lineup, as the bottom of this lineup today is pretty bad. There are five hitters with ISOs under .130 against left-handed pitching this season. If he can keep it in the ballpark against Soler, Dozier, Cuthbert, and Merrifield, he could pay off this price tag on two-pitcher sites.

Blue Jays have a 76 wRC+, 24.1 K% and 10.7 HR/FB vs LHP

John Means has allowed exactly one earned run in seven of his 10 starts. Estimators are not nearly buying into the 2.67 ERA with a .249 BABIP, 79.7 LOB% and 9.1 HR/FB, but only his 4.97 xFIP is much higher than league average. A 13.7 K-BB% and 87.2 mph aEV agrees that he might have league average upside all things taken into consideration, which is a major win for this Baltimore staff. While there is nothing special about that at cost a bit above $7K in what’s considered a dangerous park in Baltimore, it’s really nearly a neutral run environment and this is another spot where weather could give pitchers a boost, especially LH pitching with winds blowing in from left field. The Toronto offense has not seen much improvement against southpaws even with the arrival of Vlad Jr., as they’re still toting a 76 wRC+ with a 24.1 K% and 10.7 HR/FB against lefties this year. So although he’s certainly not as good as his ERA suggests, Means still has some value in what should be a favorable spot at a cost below $8K.

Batters from either side of the plate exceed a .400 wOBA vs Ryan Carpenter

We got to see the rare pitching duel between the Tigers and Orioles in Baltimore last night, but a repeat performance shouldn’t be expected on Wednesday. Ryan Carpenter has just an 8.0 SwStr% over three starts with 49% of his contact above a 95 mph EV, resulting in a 27.8 HR/FB so far. While neither that or his 9.00 ERA are likely sustainable, a 4.66 SIERA is his lowest estimator, while sitting on a .356 xwOBA. Carpenter’s career is still a very small sample, but batters from either side of the plate are above a .400 wOBA against him. Hanser Alberto (172 wRC+, .169 ISO) and Renato Nunez (115 wRC+, .219 ISO) are the only batters in the Baltimore projected lineup above average against LHP over the last calendar year, but Carpenter seems to make most hitters above average against him.

John Means showed some potential in early starts for the O’s, but has just a 12.8 K% and 6.9 SwStr% over his last five with a 5.58 SIERA and .357 xwOBA. RHBs have a career .324 wOBA (.343 xwOBA) against him. He’ll have to face a few more slightly potent bats against LHP, including Miguel Cabrera (165 wRC+, .147 ISO, 50 Hard%), Nick Castellanos (165 wRC+, .213 ISO, 50.5 Hard%) and Ronny Rodriguez (107 wRC+, .227 ISO). Both teams are within a quarter of a run of five implied runs on Wednesday night, but neither is among the top three or four projected offenses tonight.

Start of LAA-BAL will be delayed due to rain Sunday

The start of the matchup between the Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon will be delayed due to rain. There’s yet to be any confirmation of an official start time, and the Orioles have not yet committed to a specific timeline for providing further updates. The definitive late start is potentially better news for the prospects of starting pitchers like John Means and Griffin Canning not being pulled from the game early because of a mid-game stoppage, and as Kevin Roth detailed in the latest update to his MLB weather forecast, he expects this contest to play through upon the conclusion of a possibly lengthy initial delay.

A rare bright spot on a terrible team

John Means has been a rare bright spot for the O’s, allowing just two runs over 10 innings in his last two starts with a 15.3 SwStr% and 72.7 Z-Contact% on the season. He worked up to 92 pitches last time out and has a .283 xwOBA in 2019. Although a lot of his work has been out of the pen, his numbers are simply amazing (19.7 K-BB%, 1.8 Hard-Soft%) and this is a very winnable matchup against a White Sox offense with just a 90 wRC+, 19.7 K-BB% and 6.5 HR/FB vs LHP so far. Further in his favor, Weather Edge (premium subscription required) suggests some pretty pitcher friendly conditions in Chicago tonight. Players are likely going to pay up for their pitcher on FanDuel, but an affordable secondary arm on DraftKings is going to be useful tonight and Means is the second cheapest arm at $7K tonight.

Pass the Eye Test

Monday's probable starter with the highest swinging strike rate to start the season? John Means at 15.3%. Means trails both Corbin and Verlander with a 26.7% strikeout rate but is significantly cheaper than both guys and allows you to approach lineup construction differently by allocating more salary to your hitters. I don't expect Means to sustain his current rate of success but the majority of his underlying numbers pass the eye test and I do think he's at the very least playable in tournaments.

We Could See A Pitch Count Increase

John Means drew a spot start against the White Sox on the 24th and pitched well enough to earn him another start tonight. He has a 3.64 xFIP with a 26.7% strikeout rate in 2019, and he's keeping both righties and lefties under a .300 wOBA. This projected starting lineup has six hitters with strikeout rates over 20% against left-handed pitching this season. I still worry about how deep he will go, but at his price, I think the upside is worth the shot. Plus we don't have a lot of high upside pitchers in this range.