Despite having arguably the best pitcher in baseball in ace Paul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates (63-77) currently have the worst record in the NL Central and third-worst record in the entire National League. As the team looks forward to the future they have some quality pieces in their farm system.
With three of their top six prospects being pitchers, it’s safe to say the arms in “The Burgh” are plentiful. But, that’s not to say the club doesn’t have plenty of talent at the plate and in the field coming up as well. Led by top overall prospect Konnor Griffin who’s expected to make his big league debut in 2027, and second baseman Termarr Johnson who’s so close to Triple-A his final stop before his major league call up.
Termarr Johnson Showing Versatility
When Johnson made the jump from High-A Altoona to Double-A Greensboro the belief was that early onhe’d struggle at the plate. That’s been from the truth as Johnson has actually been pretty good. The 21-year-old has hit leadoff 35 times, second 16 times and has been in the three-hole on 49 occasions.
That has helped Johnson grow more confident in his overall ability. Speaking with reporters following a hard-fought series,
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be at the top of the lineup, whether it be one, two or three, and obviously being the leadoff hitter, it’s a different type of hitter that you got to be,” Johnson explained. “You got to kind of get on base as opposed to being the three hitter, which is you got to drive in all the runs. It’s been really good learning how to be that hitter at the one, two and three.”
Pittsburgh Pirates No.2 Prospect Termarr Johnson Is Too Pure A Hitter To Slump For Long
Since he was drafted in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft (No.4 overall), Pirates brass have been anticipating his arrival to the majors. As the 2025 season winds down, Johnson is very close to his final stop before his major league arrival.
Johnson Is Great At Drawing Walks
As his minor league career has progressed one thing about Johnson that’s always been consistent is his ability to draw walks (16.2 percent) which comes with his advanced plate discipline.
“Putting a little bit more emphasis on driving in runs and getting those extra-base hits and everything like that,” he said. “It’s been really good in the month of August with everything going on.
On the season, Johnson is batting .270 with a .744 OPS, 14 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 34 RBI and 20 stolen bases – two shy of matching his career-high. His 116 wRC+ indicates he’s been a well above-average performer offensively.
Thanks to his continued growth and success at the plate it’s highly plausible that Johnson will get promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis this month. If not it’s no question that he’ll be at that level to begin next season.
