Pirates' Termarr Johnson Excited To Represent Team USA
Even after the grind of his second full season in the minor leagues and playing in the Arizona Fall League, the opportunity to represent his country was too good for Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Termarr Johnson to pass up.
Johnson is set to play for Team USA in the third World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12™ tournament presented by RAXUS. For Johnson, another chance to play for Team USA after spending time representing them two times previously was a no-brainer after he was presented with the opportunity.
"A little bit before the season ended, I got a call from the people at USA Baseball," Johnson said on the MLB Pipeline podcast. "They asked me do you want to be able to play for your country? I'm like, 'Heck yeah, I want to play for my country.' [That's] one of the greatest things to do ever in this sport. So being able to have the opportunity, I took it right away."
Johnson is the Pirates' No. 3 ranked prospect and No. 75 overall in baseball by MLB Pipeline and briefly Double-A Altoona after spending most of the 2024 season playing for High-A Greensboro. The middle infield prospect amassed 15 home runs and 54 RBIs and slashed .237/.366/.386 last season. Across his 11 games in the Arizona Fall League, Johnson slashed .250/.444/.475 and hit one home run and drove in four runs.
Of his 10 hits, five were extra-base hits and his 14 walks still lead the Scottsdale Scorpions despite leaving for Team USA last week.
Johnson and Team USA begin the group stage of the Premier12 tournament on Sunday when they face Puerto Rico at 6 p.m. ET at Santa Teresita Stadium in Tepic Mexico. The top two teams from the two groups of six teams advance to the Super Round in Tokyo, Japan, which begins on Nov. 21.
"I'm grateful [and] I'm excited to get us all the gold medal because it's for everybody," Johnson said.
