PITTSBURGH -- Termarr Johnson’s path through the Pirates’ system hasn’t followed the fast track that once seemed possible, but the 22-year-old is still working through the lessons that come with the grind.
While Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin have already surged into the big leagues, and Seth Hernandez has emerged as a top prospect with Derek Curiel expected to move quickly after being selected in 2026, Johnson is still trying to turn promise into production. The 2022 No. 4 overall pick is batting .197 at Triple-A Indianapolis this season, a slow start that has lingered into late July. He has been playing second base and leading off every day for Indianapolis as he tries to climb out of it.
“I feel like you don't necessarily learn how to be persistent unless you have situations where you need to be persistent, both on and off the field,” Johnson told MLB.com. “...
Obviously, as a human, you only get to do this thing once. And I desire to do it right.
I desire to do it at a high level every single day.”
Johnson is still only 22, and the belief around him remains that the talent is there. His oldest brother and trainer, Tervont, said the original plan was for Johnson to reach the Majors at 19. That hasn’t happened, but Tervont believes the detour can still pay off in the long run.
The pressure has followed Johnson for years. Reginald Austin, his high school coach at Mays High School in Georgia and the father of Orioles prospect RJ Austin, said Johnson has long carried the label of a “can’t miss kid.”
Austin remembers Johnson putting that burden on himself, expecting multiple home runs in a game and not being satisfied with a couple of hits. He had to remind him that baseball is a “failure sport.”
“The biggest pressure he had to deal with was trying to be Superman at baseball at all times,” Austin said.
Johnson said the daily rhythm of pro ball has helped him absorb both sides of the game.
“I'm fortunate enough to, in pro ball, you play every day for six, seven months a lot of the year,” Johnson said, “to be able to learn from both the good and the bad things, the home runs, the stolen bases, the games we win. And even the errors, the strikeouts and everything that comes with baseball.”
Austin said he has seen Johnson’s defense improve since his prep days, and he believes the power has grown as well. If that all comes together with the pure-hitter reputation Johnson carried coming out of high school, Austin thinks the Pirates will have something special.
There have been stretches when Austin felt Johnson wasn’t enjoying baseball the way he once did. During the early struggles, the smile faded. More recently, Austin has seen that smile return, along with the joy that used to come so naturally.
That, more than anything, is why Johnson is trying to pull something positive from a difficult stretch.
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