John Means struggled during his first three rehab appearances. Are the numbers cause for concern?
The Orioles elected to utilize internal options to replace John Means and Kyle Bradish early in the season. Baltimore had Tyler Wells and Cole Irvin on the roster, and the Birds expected both Bradish and Means to return at some point this spring.
Unfortunately, both Wells and Irvin have pitched like players that belong on the outside looking in. Wells holds an 0-2 record with a 5.87 ERA after three starts, and Irvin sits at 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA. Irvin nearly picked up the first victory between the pair on Monday, but he failed to complete five innings. To make matters more complicated, the Orioles placed Wells on the injured list yesterday with elbow inflammation.
Every appearance from Wells or Irvin seemed to generate talk about Means and Bradish. Bradish made his first rehab start against Altoona last night, but it’s too early to make predictions regarding his return. Bradish continues to rehab a sprained ulnar collateral ligament that could potentially lead to season-ending surgery at any point. The Orioles recently shared that Bradish remains on track to return before summer, but there’s still a “we’ll see” type of attitude amongst fans.
Means differs from Bradish because he’s not rehabbing a current injury. The Orioles held the lefty back this spring, but the organization insists that he’s healthy right now. If that’s the case, and Means is simply building up his arm, he should look pretty sharp in these rehab starts, right?
Means has allowed 10 runs in just seven innings at Norfolk this season. He struck out nine and walked four over his first three rehab appearances. The numbers are less than stellar, but Means took a small step in the right direction late last week. He limited opponents to two runs on two hits while striking out three over three innings.
The Verge reported that Means’ fastball averaged 90.8 MPH in his most recent outing. That speed wont blow anyone away, but is there really reason to be concerned?
According to Baseball Savant, Means averaged 91.7 MPH on his four seamer last season. Means made four September starts after finally returning from Tommy John surgery. Did the surgery cost him a tick or two? Nope. Means averaged the exact same 91.7 MPH on his fastball during his only two starts in 2022. Means averaged 92.8 MPH with the heater in 2021 and 93.8 MPH during the short sprint in 2020.
Means should see a minor jump as the temperature rises. Either way, he’s capable of pitching in the low 90s. Means posted low strikeout totals in his four starts last season, but he limited Cleveland to just one hit over 7.1 innings. Means appeared on track to contribute in the ALDS after pitching into the seventh his last time out against Boston.
Means allowed five runs in three short starts (7.1 innings) at Bowie last season before joining Norfolk. He crisped up in his final three outings with the Tides by limiting opponents to four runs over his final 14.1 frames.
Means allowed a whopping 15 earned runs over 19 innings during spring training in 2021. He then proceeded to post a 3.62 ERA over 146.2 innings. He allowed 14 hits during 10 spring frames in 2022.
The results mean absolutely nothing independently, but it’s worth noting that Means rarely shined while ramping up for the season. The injury history and general concern post Tommy John are justified, but there’s no reason to get worked up after a few rough stat sheets from rehab appearances. Means will make his fourth rehab appearance tonight against Jacksonville, so the lefty could silence critics by the end of the evening.
The Orioles had an opportunity to sign another starting pitcher during the offseason. It’s unclear whether Mike Elias actually had cash on hand to sign a bonafide major leaguer during the ownership transition, but the Birds were content waiting for Means and Bradish to return.
Baltimore currently resembles a team that would seek out pitching help before the trade deadline, but an early season deal seems unlikely. The Birds will continue to tread water with Irvin and Wells until Means and Bradish return to Baltimore. Feel free to keep your fingers crossed for Bradish’s UCL, but don’t fret over a few Triple-A stumbles from Means right now.