Pirates' Termarr Johnson Continues Power Display
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star prospect Termarr Johnson continues showing why scouts rated him so highly coming out of high school and why people still believe he'll do it at the MLB level.
Johnson, with the Double-A Altoona Curve, took on the Erie Seawolves, Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, their fifth of six straight games on the road against their rival.
He took on Seawolves right-handed starting pitcher Joseph Montalvo and took a changeup right over the middle of the plate, way over the right field wall for a solo home run, putting the Curve up 4-1 in the top of the fifth inning.
"FORE!" -- Termarr Johnson, probably
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 10, 2025
The @Pirates' No. 4 prospect golfs a big fly to right field for the @AltoonaCurve.
Watch what happens next LIVE: https://t.co/twudCiZ70j pic.twitter.com/71XZvJrEgQ
Johnson had a strong day overall, as he had two hits in three at-bats, the home run, plus two walks in the 6-4 victory for the Curve.
This made it two home runs in three games for Johnson, who hit another solo shot off left-handed pitcher Carlos Pena in the second inning of the 6-4 loss in 12 innings.
Johnson is in his first full season with the Curve, hitting .257/.357/.413 for an OPS of .770, in 26 games, with 28 hits, two doubles, team-high five home runs, 10 RBIs, 17 walks to 24 strikeouts and six stolen bases.
The Pirates selected Johnson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Benjamin Elijah Mayes High School in Atlanta. Johnson chose a $7,219,000 signing bonus with the Pirates over his commitment to Arizona State.
He started with the Rookie-Level Florida Complex League Pirates, before Pittsburgh promoted him to the Bradenton Marauders of the Single-A Florida State League after nine games.
Johnson began the 2023 season with Bradenton, where he slashed .244/.419/.448 with 61 hits in 250 at-bats, 10 doubles, 13 home runs, 44 RBI and 72 walks to 88 strikeouts in 75 games.
He earned a promotion to the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in August 2023, where he played 30 games and slashed .242/.427/.414 with 24 hits in 99 at-bats, two doubles, five home runs, 15 RBI and 29 walks to 32 strikeouts.
Johnson spent most of 2024 with Greensboro, slashing .238/.372/.385 for an OPS of .757 in 110 games, with 94 hits, 17 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 46 RBIs, 78 walks to 105 strikeouts and 20 stolen bases.
He earned promotion to Altoona on Aug. 27, where he slashed .229/.316/.396 for an OPS of .712 in 14 games, with 11 hits, two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs and seven walks to 11 strikeouts.
Johnson played with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League and then earned a spot on Team USA for the WBSC Premier12.
He is the No. 4 prospect in the Pirates minor league system and the No. 77 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.