Means: "It was just kind of a surreal moment" (and Puig note)

John Means insists that he didn't know it was coming.

The conversation with manager Brandon Hyde. The confirmation that he'd be the opening day starter on July 24.

"I think up until I get told that I'm opening day, I just kind of assumed I was just fighting for a job," Means said this afternoon in a Zoom conference call with the media.

Means already has notched his first win.

"I kind of like that mentality. I like to keep that back-against-the-wall mentality and just never get comfortable," he said. "I'm constantly trying to get better and until I'm told for sure and it's in writing and he tells me face to face, I'm just going to assume that I'm fighting for the job."

The people closest to Means already figured out that he was the choice. His announcement didn't send shockwaves through the family or his circle of friends.

It's hard to keep a secret.

"It goes on social media and stuff before I get a chance," he said. "But I was told in spring training already, kind of before it was released, but now that it's official and everything and the outpouring of texts and stuff, the people who have been there for me the entire time, it's really cool. But my wife, Caroline, knew probably first and then my parents after that.

"It was just kind of a surreal moment."

They keep coming, with Means learning earlier this summer that he's going to be a first-time father. The couple is awaiting the arrival of their son.

Means made his major league debut in Boston back on Sept. 26, 2018, a pitching shortage leading the Orioles to summon the left-hander off his couch. Means worked 3 1/3 relief innings in a 19-3 loss in Game 1 of a doubleheader. J.D. Martinez hit a three-run homer.

No one pegged Means as opening day material, but he made the club last spring by avoiding the final round of cuts, earned an opportunity in the rotation and finished second in voting for American League Rookie of the Year.

The lone All-Star representative was the only logical choice for the assignment.

Reflection for Means "comes in waves," he said.

"Sometimes I have to sit back and kind of tell myself and pinch myself a little bit that this is real and this is happening, the opening day starter for the Baltimore Orioles. If you had told me that two years ago I would have laughed in your face. It's one of those things that you don't ever plan for it and you can't ever plan for it. I just tried to keep pitching the best I could and here I am."

Means said the unusual circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic won't lessen the excitement of taking the ball on July 24.

"I think I'll just approach it like every other game," he said. "I think that I was going to do that either way. I mean, it's going to be different, it's going to be weird. That first game is going to feel so weird having someone with another uniform in the box with no fans in the stands, but like I've said before, I think that helps us and I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

"I think we're obviously going to have a bunch of energy going into it, so I think it's going to have that feel of being a real opening day."

Means followed the long layoff by working five innings in his intrasquad start, exceeding 70 pitches and keeping his fastball at 93-94 mph.

"I haven't really had any problem with ramping back up," he said. "I've always been pretty good with recovering, especially over an offseason. If I get a full offseason to recover, I'm fine. And since we didn't really get six or seven innings in spring training, I wasn't that ramped up. So I just tried to keep that up through quarantine.

"I haven't had an issue of going out there and feeling any different. It is dangerous and it is kind of tough, especially in these circumstances, but for myself personally I haven't really felt an issue."

One of Means' pitching heroes was left-hander Jamie Moyer, who didn't leave the game until approaching his 50th birthday.

"Honestly, my motivation is to keep playing a child's game as long as I possibly can," Means said. "The last thing I want is to have to get a real job. Who wouldn't want to play baseball for a living? Who wouldn't want this job? Who wouldn't want to keep doing this as long as they possibly can?"

Hence, the attraction to Moyer's career.

"Guys like that, that's who I strive to be, that's who I always wanted to be," Means said. "I wanted to play this game for as long as I can, and that was my motivation, was to, you may as well wait until they rip the jersey off your back. That's kind of the mentality that I try to keep having."

Veteran Alex Cobb missed his chance to start last year's opener due to soreness in his groin that eventually was traced to a hip injury. He brings a more extensive resume than Means, and a much bigger contract, but he made only three starts last season, totaling 12 1/3 innings.

The pecking order has undergone some changes.

Cobb is expected to start the second game on July 25. Alex Wojciechowski and Wade LeBlanc also appear to have spots sewn up, and Tommy Milone arrived in spring training as the favorite for the fifth slot. However, Kohl Stewart has impressed Hyde in workouts at summer training camp and could be the final piece in the rotation rather than a long reliever/swingman.

Note: The Orioles have made at least one offer to free agent outfielder Yasiel Puig, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

The team has a shortage of outfielders in camp with Dwight Smith Jr. and Anthony Santander unavailable and Trey Mancini missing the 2020 season while undergoing chemotherapy treatments. However, Puig would be an unusual acquisition for a rebuilding club. And especially with Ryan Mountcastle expected to make his debut later this summer and projected now as a left fielder.

An abbreviated season could influence roster decisions. Perhaps this is one example.

The Orioles have used super-utility players in the outfield or left vacant areas during intrasquad games. And Mancini's removal from the lineup leaves a hole in the middle of the lineup.

Puig, 29, played in 149 games last season between the Reds and Indians and slashed .267/.327/.458 with 30 doubles, two triples, 24 home runs and 84 RBIs. He owns a career .348 on-base percentage in seven seasons and hit a career-high 28 home runs with the Dodgers in 2017.

Controversy has followed Puig like a young sibling. He's a big personality, to say the least. But the Orioles must have determined that the upside to signing him, which would provide a significant roster upgrade, is worth it.