Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: 2023 Minor League Season Statistical Leaders

On-Base Percentage, Walk Rate (Batter) - Termarr Johnson

The second of three 2022 draft picks, Termarr Johnson had an up-and-down 2023 season. But he ended the year on an extremely high note, delivering a ton of promise and much to look forward to in 2024. Johnson also displayed his elite plate discipline this year at Bradenton and Greensboro.

Johnson finished off his 2023 season batting .244/.422/.438 triple-slash, a strong .410 wOBA, and 141 wRC+. The second baseman hit for his fair share of power with a .195 isolated slugging percentage and 18 home runs, but he also walked at an insane 21.9% rate. Johnson struck out an uncharacteristic amount of times with a 26% strikeout rate, but his issues with the strikeout look like they may be behind him after an outstanding second half.

After the All-Star break, Johnson hit .260/.451/.487 with a .437 wOBA and 161 wRC+. Johnson walked even more frequently than he did in the first half, with a 23.4% Bwalk rate. He struck out far less often compared to his strikeout rate before the break of 30.7%, cutting it down to a meager 20% rate. Johnson also hit for more pop with a .227 ISO.

Johnson finished off the 2023 season with a walk rate of 21.9%. Johnson didn't just have the highest walk rate in the Pirates' system. He had the highest walk rate among all minor league batters with at least 300 plate appearances. Detroit Tigers' infield prospect Cristian Santana had the second highest at 21.7%. Johnson was also just one of eight minor league batters with a walk rate of at least 20%.

This was a historically good season for Johnson in terms of walks. He is the first prospect in their age-19 or younger season to draw 100 walks. This was also the highest walk rate from any batter, with at least 400 plate appearances in the minor leagues over the last decade.

It's also no surprise that Johnson led the Pirates' minor league players in on-base percentage. At .422, he outpaced fellow 2022 draft pick Tres Gonzalez by 17 points. This was another rate that was among the best in the minor leagues this year, ranking 29th out of the over 1000 players with 300+ plate appearances across all levels.

Johnson's outstanding second half was promising, to say the least. He significantly cut the strikeouts down while keeping an elite walk rate and hitting for above-average power. Hopefully, he can continue to build upon that in 2024 and beyond.