Pirates' Termarr Johnson Named To USA Baseball Team
An already busy offseason for Pittsburgh Pirates infield prospect Termarr Johnson just got even busier.
Johnson was named to the USA Baseball team for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12™ presented by RAXUS. Johnson, who is the Pirates' No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 75 prospect in baseball, is one of four top 100 prospects to make the team. He'll be joined by fellow top prospects Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Carson Williams (No. 4), Chicago Cubs infielder Matt Shaw (No. 22) and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford (No. 53).
The tournament begins on Nov. 9 in Guadalajara and Tepic, Mexico. Team USA is one of six teams in Group A and will face Puerto Rico in its opening game. The top two teams in Group A move on to the Super Round, which takes place in Tokyo, Japan, from Nov. 21-24.
The 2024 Premier12 has the 12 top-ranked teams as of Dec. 31, 2023, through international competition in Japan, Mexico and Taiwan. Team USA was the runner-up in the first rendition of the tournament in 2015 and finished in fourth place in 2019.
Johnson is one of four players making their return to USA Baseball. He'll be joined by Anthony Gose, Chris Okey and Touki Toussaint.
Johnson, 20, spent last season playing for High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona and amassed 15 homes and 54 runs batted and had a slash line of .237/.366/.386 across 124 games. The Pirates' No. 3 prospect has been playing in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions and across seven games has slashed .308/.486/.615 with one home run and three RBIs.
Johnson was taken with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft by Pittsburgh.
Team USA will be managed by Mike Scioscia, who was the longtime manager for the Los Angeles Angels and won a World Series with the franchise in 2002. Scioscia was 1,650-1,428 in his 19 seasons managing the Angels.
Alongside the top prospects on the roster, the team will feature a group of veterans, including left-handed pitcher Rich Hill, who pitched for the Pirates in 2023.
