Rum Bunter's top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects: Where does Konnor Griffin debut?

Number Three: Termarr Johnson

The Pittsburgh Pirates' first-round pick in 2022 was infielder Termarr Johnson. Taken fourth overall, Johnson was signed to a huge deal worth $7,219,000 which, at the time, was a record-breaking amount for a fourth overall pick. Johnson has had some ups and downs, but there've been way more positives than negatives to his tenure, and his ceiling is super high.

Johnson's 2024 got off to a poor start. His first 154 plate appearances saw him bat a mediocre .175/.383/.245 with a .329 wOBA and 103 wRC+.Johnson struggled to hit for much power and had just an .079 isolated slugging percentage. The only positive was that his plate discipline was great. He had a solid 22.7% strikeout rate, but walked 22.1% of the time, but that's about where the positives end during this stretch. 

But since then, Johnson has put things back on track. His most recent 282 plate appearances have yielded a .277/.388/.464 line, .390 wOBA, and 141 wRC+. The power has started to come around, given his .187 isolated slugging percentage. Although Johnson is walking less frequently, he still has an elite 14.2% BB%. Plus, he's dropped his strikeout rate below 20% at 19.9%.

Despite his smaller stature of 5'7", 175 pounds, Johnson projects to hit for plus power. He displayed a strong hit tool throughout his high school career, but while it's taken a while for him to get used to pro ball, the potential is still there. Johnson has split his time between shortstop and second base. Between the two positions, his speed and arm project better at the keystone.

With how well Johnson is performing right now, it wouldn't be a surprise if he gets promoted to Double-A before the end of the season. He's still only 20 years old and won't turn 21 until June of next season. There's a possibility that he could be in the big leagues before the end of 2025, giving the Pirates yet another potential long-term middle infield option.