Fewer homers allowed could be a big plus for this pitcher

As we speculate and try and make educated guesses on which pitchers could be helped the most by the Camden Yards fences being moved back in left and left-center fields, the club's best pitcher could be among those that most benefit.

In going 6-9 with a 3.62 ERA last year, lefty John Means allowed a career-high 30 homers. Among all Orioles pitchers with any significant number of innings, he was the only one to allow more homers than walks (26). He gave up 1.60 walks per every nine innings last season and 1.84 homers.

That is pretty rare. In fact, among the 96 pitchers in Major League Baseball that threw 120 or more innings last year, Means was the only one to issue more homers than walks.

And of the 64 runs Means allowed last season, 45 scored via a home run. Means allowed an ERA of 4.62 in 2021 at Camden Yards and yielded 2.1 homers per nine innings at the ballpark. His road ERA was 2.84 and he gave up 1.64 homers per nine innings in his road outings.

This pitcher should be helped - maybe greatly helped - by the new Oriole Park dimensions.

Means gave up a career-high-tying three homers twice last year and allowed at least one longball in 18 of his 25 starts. He was one of eight pitchers to allow 30 or more home runs and one of five starters in the majors to give up multiple home runs in 10 games (or more). He gave up two homers in five straight starts from May 19 to July 20, tied with Ken Dixon from 1986 for the longest such streak in Orioles history.

For what it is worth, Means did not give up a lot of so-called cheap homers at Camden Yards last year. Alex Fast of Pitcher List directed me to this list of his homers allowed in 2021 in Baltimore.

Despite that, Means put up some solid numbers and you have to wonder if a big reduction in homers allowed will take his game to an even higher level.

Means had another strong season in 2021 and had he enough innings to qualify for league leaders (he finished 15 1/3 shy and spent time hurt) he would have ranked seventh in the American League in ERA and first in WHIP.

His numbers last season looked very similar to his 2019. But last year, he did make his first opening day start, recorded a career-best 12 quality starts, allowed two earned runs or less in 16 outings out of 26 and on May 5 pitched the sixth no-hitter in team history.

The home runs allowed kind of stand out among many of his stats. Among those major league pitchers throwing 120 innings, his homer rate of 1.84 was ninth-highest. New teammate Jordan Lyles was eighth, by the way, at 1.90 and the new look could no doubt help him, too.

And while the disparity in Means' home and road stats was there last summer, the splits are much more balanced over his career. In 348 2/3 career innings, his home ERA is 3.94 with a WHIP of 1.084 and 1.67 homers per nine innings. And on the road, his ERA is 3.69 with a WHIP of 1.072 and he actually has allowed more longballs, with a homers per nine innings of 1.74.

And for his career, he has walked more than allowed homers, but it's pretty close, 71 to 66.

Means' 30 homers allowed ranked tied for seventh-most in the majors in '21. Cutting down on that number will no doubt be a big lift for him and his team