It’s tough to define what makes an “ace” starting pitcher, but you know it when you see it. John Means has looked every bit like an ace so far this season.
Means’s stats speak for themselves. Through his first five starts this season, the left-hander has a 1.50 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and a .171 opponents’ batting average. He’s been dominant, and it’s not as if these types of performances came out of nowhere. Means just did something similar to wrap up 2020; during his final four outings of the year he had a 1.52 ERA over 23.