Pirates Prospects Shine in Arizona Fall League Debut
It didn't take long for Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Termarr Johnson to make his presence felt in the Arizona Fall League.
In his first at-bat of the AFL, the Pirates' No. 3 overall prospect sent a ball 393 feet over the right field wall for a leadoff home run, helping lead the Scottsdale Scorpions to a 9-8 win over the Salt River Rats in their first game in the AFL.
Johnson finished his day going 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. He also had an RBI single in the second inning. Johnson left the game early due to a leg cramp, per Kelsie Heneghan of MLB Pipeline.
"Termarr Johnson to the berm!"
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 9, 2024
The @Pirates' No. 3 prospect goes yard in his first @MLBazFallLeague at-bat.@MLBDevelops | @YoungBucsPIT pic.twitter.com/dlGikvxABY
Johnson, who is projected to reach the big leagues in 2025, batted .237, hit 15 home runs, drove in 54 runs and stole 22 bases across High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona.
Pittsburgh outfield prospect Sammy Siani also hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and finished his night going 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Siani batted .265 with nine home runs and 48 RBIs and stole 16 bases in 116 games for High-A Greensboro and Doble-A Altoona.
On the mound, Pirates pitching prospect Khristian Curtis earned the win, pitching three shutout innings in relief and striking out two batters. Curtis is the franchise's No. 27 ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline and is projected to reach the majors in 2026. The 6-foot-5 right-hander spent last season in Single-A and went 2-3 with a 4.06 ERA across 18 appearances, 16 of which were starts.
Pirates reliever Eddy Yean navigated a bumpy ninth inning to earn the save. Yean pitched one inning, allowing two hits, one run, one walk and struck out one batter. The River Rats had runners on first and third with one out, and Yean escaped the jam by getting Cayden Wallace to pop out and struck out Kala'i Rosario to end the game.
Yean was 7-5 with a 3.36 ERA across 48 appearances for Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis in 2024.
The Scorpions return to action on Wednesday when they face the Mesa Solar Sox (1-0) at 9:30 p.m. ET.
