Pirates' Termarr Johnson 'Learned A Lot' During 2024 Season
A prospect's ability to work through struggles and endure growing pains as they ascend the minor league ranks is among the biggest challenges they face on their way to the big leagues.
For Pittsburgh Pirates' No. 3 overall prospect and the No. 75 ranked prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, Termarr Johnson, the 2024 season provided a huge learning experience. While those experiences can be tough for some, the lessons learned were something the middle infielder enjoyed in his second full season as a pro.
“I learned a lot,” Johnson told Mayo. “It was just fun learning a lot about myself. I'm very happy with what I've done, but I'm always hungry for more. Even if I was batting .400, I’d probably want more than that, too. I'm happy for what I did do, happy for my teammates, and all the games that I helped them win. But I want to do more, so I’m excited for that.”
Johnson played 124 games across High-A Greensboro (110) and Double-A Altoona (14), slashing .237/.366/.386, hitting 15 home runs and driving in 54 runs. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft cut down slightly on his strikeouts while making an impact on the basepaths, recording 22 steals.
Now, Johnson has his sights set on the Arizona Fall League and has gotten off to a strong start playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions. Through three games, he has hit a home run, driven in two runs and has slashed .400/.600.900.
Beyond an opportunity to play against some of the top prospects around baseball, Johnson is viewing it as another chance for him to learn and continue to grow his game as he makes his push toward the big leagues to play for the Pirates.
"I want to learn more about myself that’s going to help me be the best big leaguer I can be,” Johnson said. “I want to be the best player on the field every time that I’m out there. Learning from my teammates here, learning from my coaches here, learning from the experience here is going to help me get to that.”
The Scorpions return to the diamond on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET to face the Mesa Solar Sox (4-2). Pirates pitching prospect Khrisitian Curtis is scheduled to get the start on the mound for Scottsdale.
