Termarr Johnson

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #5 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High.
  
  Track Record: When the Pirates drafted Johnson fourth overall in 2022 and signed him for $7.219 million, he was billed as one of the most advanced prep hitters in recent memory. His professional career, however, has been uneven. The 20-year-old spent most of 2024 with High-A Greensboro, where he hit just .200 through May before a stronger finish. He ended with a .238/.372/.385 line and 13 homers, then made a 14-game cameo with Double-A Altoona. Nearly 40% of Johnson’s 544 plate appearances ended in a walk (85), strikeout (116) or home run (15).
  
  Scouting Report: Johnson is a bit of a vexing prospect as he tries to find the proper balance of approach and impact. The 5-foot-7, 190-pound lefthanded hitter whips the bat through the zone with lightning-quick hands capable of hitting majestic pull-side homers. He also has superb strike-zone discipline and owns a career .390 on-base percentage. But the pure hitting ability many projected as an amateur has yet to consistently materialize. Even despite modest improvements to his chase and in-zone miss rates, he still racked up a 31% overall swing-and-miss rate in 2024. Johnson’s in-zone contact rates were below-average for his age, as well. He would benefit from getting in better positions more consistently to better optimize his contact. The Pirates felt Johnson worked hard to improve his range defensively and continued to give him shortstop reps. The prevailing sentiment remains that he’s a long-term second baseman, which is a better fit for his fringe-average arm.
  
  The Future: Johnson has age and on-base skills on his side, but he’ll need to hit more as he climbs the ladder. The ingredients remain for a future offensive-oriented everyday second baseman. Expect him to return to Double-A Altoona to start the season.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 45
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #4 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 55/High
  
  Track Record: In 2022, Johnson was one of a handful of candidates to be drafted first overall. The Orioles chose Jackson Holliday at 1-1 rather than Druw Jones or Johnson, who fell to Pittsburgh at fourth overall. The Pirates signed him for $7,219,000, the third-highest bonus in franchise history behind only Gerrit Cole and Paul Skenes. Lauded as one of the purest prep hitters in years, Johnson reached Low-A Bradenton in his draft year, then split 2023 between Low-A and High-A Greensboro. He played a bit of catchup in the early going after a hamstring injury sidelined him for much in the spring and delayed his season debut until April 21.
  
  Scouting Report: After roughly a season’s worth of games, Johnson appears to have two distinct paths as a hitter. If he continues his trend from 2023, he will be a player who hits for a low average, draws a ton of walks and uses electric bat speed to hit long home runs to his pull side. If he varies his approach a bit and makes better swing decisions, he can trade some of those walks for hits and live up to his amateur billing as a player who can use a supremely gifted set of hands and a whip-quick bat to hit for both average and power. Though he was drafted as a shortstop, Johnson has played second base nearly exclusively as a pro and did not get a game on the left side after moving to High-A. He has an average arm and has a chance to be average at second base, though scouts noted his thicker lower half, which will have to be maintained as he matures in order to keep the necessary range. He’s an average runner, though evaluators have seen him kick it up a notch when he smells extra bases.
  
  The Future: Johnson is likely to return to High-A to begin 2024. His future hinges on the offensive approach he decides to employ as he moves through the minor leagues.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #2 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 60/High
  
  Track Record: Amateur evaluators have long marveled at Johnson's preternatural feel for hitting and magnetic personality. He's one of the purest high school hitters in recent memory, possessing the best hit tool and strike-zone judgment of any prep hitter in the 2022 draft. The Pirates selected him No. 4 overall and signed him to a $7,219,000 bonus to forgo an Arizona State commitment. He debuted in the Florida Complex League and finished the year with Low-A Bradenton, hitting .275/.396/.450 in 14 games.
  
  Scouting Report: The 5-foot-7 Johnson is one of the most interesting top 10 picks in recent draft history because of his size and likely future as a second baseman, but it's rare to find a teenager with his feel for hitting. Johnson is a lefthanded hitter who greets pitchers with a sizable leg kick before lashing at pitches with remarkable bat speed, which suggests potential for plus raw power along with a future as a 70-grade hitter. He pairs remarkable bat control and ability to manipulate the barrel with a discerning eye. He also showed the ability to identify strikes and punish them. Like many young hitters, Johnson will need to adapt to premium velocity and offspeed pitches in pro ball, especially considering he faced weak competition in high school. There's pressure on Johnson's bat to perform because of marginal supplemental tools. His body is already close to maxed out. The Pirates will give him a shot to stick at shortstop and he's sure-handed defensively, but his average arm and limited range are better suited for second base. Johnson draws rave reviews as a teammate and plays with notable passion.
  
  The Future: Johnson is a long way away--he will still be 18 years old on Opening Day--but his brief pro debut teased his potential as an impact big league hitter for both average and power.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 70. Power: 60. Speed: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #4 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Mays HS, Atlanta Committed/Drafted: Arizona State
  Age At Draft: 18.1
  BA Grade: 60/High
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 70 | Power: 60 | Run: 45 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
  Johnson is one of the most unique, top-of-the-class high school prospects the industry has seen in years. He’s a 5-foot-8, 194-pound shortstop who probably moves to second base at the next level and is close to physically maxed out, but he’s also one of the most advanced pure hitters to come out of high school since perhaps Joe Mauer in 2001. Johnson manipulates his bat from the left side of the plate like a magic wand, equally capable of turning on mid-90s velocity and showing 60-grade power to the pull or sitting back and slapping a breaking ball or offspeed offering through the 5-6 hole for a softly hit single. He was the top hitter on the showcase circuit and consistently performed no matter the competition and has a lengthy track record as an underclassman with USA Baseball. He has the rare amateur combination of excellent bat-to-ball skills, an advanced approach at the plate, impressive pitch recognition and more power than you’d expect given his frame, thanks to excellent bat speed and precise barrel accuracy. There are few holes to speak of in his game offensively and he has a real chance to be a 70-grade hitter. As a defender, Johnson is likely to move to second base due to limited range and arm strength that fits better on the right side of the infield. He’s sure-handed on balls he gets to and he turns a double play nicely, with quick footwork and a fast exchange, and profiles as an average defender. He is an average runner now, but it would be unsurprising for him to slow down a tick as he reaches physical maturity. Johnson committed to Arizona State late in the process but is expected to be a top-10 pick thanks to his hitting prowess. It’s certainly possible Johnson is selected as a shortstop, but if he is selected as a second baseman, he has a chance to top Delino DeShields (2010, No. 8) as the highest-ever drafted prep player at the position. There’s plenty of pressure on Johnson’s bat given his supplemental tool set, but it’s also hard to point to a recent high school hitter this advanced.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #71 prospect in 2023
• Ranked Baseball America's #49 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 60/High
  
  Track Record: Amateur evaluators have long marveled at Johnson's preternatural feel for hitting and magnetic personality. He's one of the purest high school hitters in recent memory, possessing the best hit tool and strike-zone judgment of any prep hitter in the 2022 draft. The Pirates selected him No. 4 overall and signed him to a $7,219,000 bonus to forgo an Arizona State commitment. He debuted in the Florida Complex League and finished the year with Low-A Bradenton, hitting .275/.396/.450 in 14 games.
  
  Scouting Report: The 5-foot-7 Johnson is one of the most interesting top 10 picks in recent draft history because of his size and likely future as a second baseman, but it's rare to find a teenager with his feel for hitting. Johnson is a lefthanded hitter who greets pitchers with a sizable leg kick before lashing at pitches with remarkable bat speed, which suggests potential for plus raw power along with a future as a 70-grade hitter. He pairs remarkable bat control and ability to manipulate the barrel with a discerning eye. He also showed the ability to identify strikes and punish them. Like many young hitters, Johnson will need to adapt to premium velocity and offspeed pitches in pro ball, especially considering he faced weak competition in high school. There's pressure on Johnson's bat to perform because of marginal supplemental tools. His body is already close to maxed out. The Pirates will give him a shot to stick at shortstop and he's sure-handed defensively, but his average arm and limited range are better suited for second base. Johnson draws rave reviews as a teammate and plays with notable passion.
  
  The Future: Johnson is a long way away--he will still be 18 years old on Opening Day--but his brief pro debut teased his potential as an impact big league hitter for both average and power.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 70. Power: 60. Speed: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 60/High
  
  Track Record: Amateur evaluators have long marveled at Johnson's preternatural feel for hitting and magnetic personality. He's one of the purest high school hitters in recent memory, possessing the best hit tool and strike-zone judgment of any prep hitter in the 2022 draft. The Pirates selected him No. 4 overall and signed him to a $7,219,000 bonus to forgo an Arizona State commitment. He debuted in the Florida Complex League and finished the year with Low-A Bradenton, hitting .275/.396/.450 in 14 games.
  
  Scouting Report: The 5-foot-7 Johnson is one of the most interesting top 10 picks in recent draft history because of his size and likely future as a second baseman, but it's rare to find a teenager with his feel for hitting. Johnson is a lefthanded hitter who greets pitchers with a sizable leg kick before lashing at pitches with remarkable bat speed, which suggests potential for plus raw power along with a future as a 70-grade hitter. He pairs remarkable bat control and ability to manipulate the barrel with a discerning eye. He also showed the ability to identify strikes and punish them. Like many young hitters, Johnson will need to adapt to premium velocity and offspeed pitches in pro ball, especially considering he faced weak competition in high school. There's pressure on Johnson's bat to perform because of marginal supplemental tools. His body is already close to maxed out. The Pirates will give him a shot to stick at shortstop and he's sure-handed defensively, but his average arm and limited range are better suited for second base. Johnson draws rave reviews as a teammate and plays with notable passion.
  
  The Future: Johnson is a long way away--he will still be 18 years old on Opening Day--but his brief pro debut teased his potential as an impact big league hitter for both average and power.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 70. Power: 60. Speed: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 60/High
  
  August Update: Johnson is one of the best top-of-the-class high school prospects the industry has seen in years. He&#39s a shortstop who probably moves to second base at the next level and is close to physically maxed out, but he&#39s also one of the most advanced pure hitters to come out of high school since perhaps Joe Mauer in 2001. Johnson manipulates his bat from the left side of the plate like a magic wand, equally capable of turning on mid-90s velocity and showing 60-grade power to the pull or sitting back and slapping a breaking ball or offspeed offering through the 5-6 hole for a softly hit single. He was the top hitter on the showcase circuit and consistently performed no matter the competition and has a lengthy track record as an underclassman with USA Baseball. He has the rare amateur combination of excellent bat-to-ball skills, an advanced approach at the plate, impressive pitch recognition and more power than you&#39d expect given his frame, thanks to excellent bat speed and precise barrel accuracy. There are few holes to speak of in his game offensively and he has a real chance to be a 70-grade hitter. As a defender, Johnson is likely to move to second base due to limited range and arm strength that fits better on the right side of the infield. He&#39s sure-handed on balls he gets to and he turns a double play nicely, with quick footwork and a fast exchange, and profiles as an average defender. He is an average runner now, but it would be unsurprising for him to slow down a tick as he reaches physical maturity. There&#39s plenty of pressure on Johnson&#39s bat given his supplemental tool set, but it&#39s also hard to point to a recent high school hitter this advanced.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 70. Power: 60. Run: 45. Field: 50. Arm: 50.