After a dominant stretch, all eyes are on one of the Pirates’ brightest stars.
On this edition of the Pirates Prospect Update series, we take a dive into what has been a great streak of performances for second baseman Termarr Johnson.
Although the season started slow for Johnson, he has never looked better for Greensboro, earning himself a selection to the Futures Game for All-Star weekend. He was also one of the first players to participate in the Futures Skills Showcase event that was held during the weekend. He would go 1-for-2 with a run scored in the Futures game.
Leading up to that All-Star nod, Johnson was riding a 12-game hitting streak, notching several games with multiple hits. In that span, he’s hit two homers, 10 RBIs, and is currently hitting .400 in the month of July. The 20-year old top prospect is showing signs that he has settled in at the minor league ranks, and has added some of the power that scouts were questioning when the Pirates drafted him with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft.
Termarr Johnson competed in the first-ever MLB Futures Skills Showcase pic.twitter.com/9uPEnO6WKq
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) July 14, 2024
The start to the season saw Johnson well below the Mendoza Line, certainly concerning for one of the team’s top prospects, and a player looking to be promoted to Double-A Altoona. A .244/.394/.394 split with nine homers is not the best, but his stats were certainly hampered because of the aforementioned rough patch. That being said, his dominance stretches far past the last 12 games, as his past 30 have completely flipped the script for his season. .302/.415/.474 with five home runs and 18 RBIs is what he’s done over the past month, and he is definitely trending towards a move to Altoona.
Being that he was only drafted two years ago, there’s still plenty of time before Johnson will see Major League action, but it is encouraging to see that he is developing into that big-time player that the Buccos saw on draft night. And he has more than time, he has growing up to do as a professional athlete and developing to do to fill out as a grown man in a grueling sport. When talking about the All-Star activities and challenges ahead, this is what Johnson had to say.
Termarr Johnson is on a 12-game hitting streak.
He’s hitting .415 with three doubles, two homers, and nine RBIs in his last 10 games and hitting over .300 the last month.
Johnson will represent the Pirates in the Futures Game. #Pirates pic.twitter.com/shSdZ0e33E
— Austin Bechtold (@AustinRBechtold) July 12, 2024
“It’s gonna happen in its divine timing,” Johnson said of his future. ”I’m not trying to control too much or even think about it. Just making sure that I do my part, and then when my time comes, I’m ready to do it.”
Termarr Johnson is currently the second ranked Pirates’ prospect, with a Major League ETA of 2025.