John Means Of Orioles Enjoys All-Star Experience, Despite Not Pitching

John Means did not get into the All-Star Game Tuesday night in Cleveland, a contest where the American League edged the National League 4-3. The truth is, though, the Baltimore left-hander was not all that upset.

MLB.com said Means had been told he probably would have pitched if the game had made it into extra innings. American League manager Alex Cora saved two starting pitchers, Means and Gerrit Cole of Houston, presumably for overtime in the close game.

But Means earned the right to go to the game, to have the experience, to enjoy the moment — and he loved the whole thing.

“I don’t think disappointed is the word,” Means said to MLB.com about not pitching. "Just living it out and trying to soak it all in."

Means was not even sure he'd make the Orioles coming out of spring training. In fact, several have said the pitcher might have been the last player on the Opening Day roster. The Orioles used him in long relief at first and quickly saw something.

His fastball had gone up into the low 90s instead of around 90 where it had been before. He honed a killer change-up during the spring that left many batters swinging in a goofy manner. The Orioles quickly moved him to their needy starting rotation, and Means rolled to a 7-4 record with a 2.50 ERA in 18 games, 14 of which were starts.

The combination of the improved fastball and better change-up has proved to be an effective one for Means, who had pitched in just one major-league game before 2019.

He's given up one run or less in eight of his 14 starts. He's truly been the biggest surprise of the Baltimore season, and in a way, being picked for the All-Star team can be looked at as a step in the team's long rebuilding process.

Means was drafted by the Orioles and came up through their system. He wasn't considered a major prospect but went out during the off-season and strengthened his arm, and that gave his fastball more life. Then came the improved changed-up and not only does he make the team, Means becomes a top starter.

So, even though Means was in camp, the Orioles' staff still helped develop him into something better. That's what they want to do with their prospects — get the most out of each player possible. This has been the story with Means.

Will it continue? Only time will tell. But there's no fluke in the way Means pitched in the first half of this season. He, overall, might have been Baltimore's best starter and certainly its most consistent overall.

That's why not getting to pitch in the All-Star Game did not seem to bother Means too much. The bigger honor was being selected to the game and having the experience, which gave Means another chance to learn.

MLB.com reported that Means' change-up has opposing batters hitting just .175 in 2019, and he was getting a lot of interest on what he does with it. Means also got to learn, speaking with Yankee veteran CC Sabathia and talking about baseball life, according to MLB.com.

“He was telling me about the winning environment and how things are different for teams that sacrifice for each other, and that everybody knows their job,” Means told MLB.com. “He was giving me some really, really good advice."

So Means did not pitch in the big game, but he still made out just fine.

Source: Forbes.com

Powered by NewsAPI.org

Keywords:

John Means (politician) • Baltimore Orioles • Pitcher • John Means (politician) • Major League Baseball All-Star Game • Cleveland Indians • American League • National League • Baltimore Orioles • Handedness • MLB.com • Extra innings • American League • Manager (baseball) • Alex Cora • Pitcher • Gerrit Cole • Houston • MLB.com • Baltimore Orioles • Spring training • Pitcher • Baseball • Opening Day • Major League Baseball rosters • Baltimore Orioles • Long reliever • First baseman • Fastball • Changeup • Batting (baseball) • Goofy • Baltimore Orioles • Starting pitcher • Earned run average • Games played • Starting pitcher • Fastball • Changeup • Major League Baseball • Run (baseball) • Baltimore Orioles • Major League Baseball All-Star Game • Draft (sports) • Baltimore Orioles • Fastball • Starting pitcher • Baltimore Orioles • Only Time Will Tell (song) • Whale • Baltimore Orioles • Pitch (baseball) • Major League Baseball All-Star Game • MLB.com • Changeup • Batting (baseball) • Batting (baseball) • New York Yankees • CC Sabathia • Baseball • MLB.com • MLB.com • Game (hunting) •