2022 Draft: Pittsburgh Pirates Fourth Overall Selection

The Pittsburgh Pirates had the fourth overall selection in the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft.  So who did they decide to use the selection on?

Last year the Pittsburgh Pirates got things started off with a bang by selecting Henry Davis first overall.  Their whole Draft plan developed from there and the Bucs turned in what could be a historical draft class.  So there has been a lot of anticipation for the 2022 Draft by Pittsburgh Pirates fans.

The team had the fourth overall pick in the Draft.  The Orioles, Diamondbacks, and Rangers were the three teams in front of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  However, they still were able to get a very promising talent.  With the fourth overall selection, the Pittsburgh Pirates Drafted infielder Termarr Johnson.

Johnson is considered to be the best pure hitter in the Draft, especially out of the Prep ranks.  The downside is there are question marks around where he will play in the field.  At the end of the day, he is an athlete and one of the top hitters available.

Johnson ranks as the #4 prospect on MLB Pipeline.  Here is some of their scouting report on Johnson:

"Though he’s a high schooler who projects as a second baseman, Johnson is a potential No. 1 overall choice because he might be the best pure prep hitter in decades. He has a track record of pummeling pitchers on the showcase circuit and some evaluators give his bat top-of-the-scale 80 grades"

The fourth overall selection has a Draft Slot Value of $7,002,100 which obviously is a large chunk of their overall pool of $13,733,900.  Keep in mind that last year the Pittsburgh Pirates gave Henry Davis a bonus of approximately $6,500,000. The actual bonus slot for the top pick was actually around $8,400,000.

Johnson was being heavily connected to the Bucs leading up to the Draft, specifically by Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline.  There was word that they likely had a deal worked out if he was going to be there at pick #4.  He said that he is “ready to play baseball again” during his interview on MLB Network.  So it sounds like he is more than ready to make the step to professional ball.