BRADENTON, Fla. — Where Konnor Griffin has drawn all the attention for the Pittsburgh Pirates, his double-play partner at Double-A Altoona quietly went about his business to have a strong spring training.
Only four years ago, Termarr Johnson was the teenager who was the top-10 draft pick and being talked about as a generational talent as a prep hitter. Now, the 21-year-old second baseman toils in relative obscurity, no longer a top-100 prospect but one still on track for the majors.
“When I got drafted, I always knew I could hit. I always knew I could make contact. I always knew what the strike zone looked like. I was ahead from that front,” Johnson said. “Getting to the power was something I needed to work on. When you go into the minor leagues, you’ve got to work on things that you’re not necessarily good at. Over the years, I’ve been able to achieve that. I’ve put up pretty serviceable power numbers for a guy that’s 5-7.”
Johnson was reassigned to minor league camp Thursday and is expected to start the season at Triple-A Indianapolis. The move had less to do with his performance this spring than it did the crowded middle infield for the Pirates, who acquired two-time All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe and have multi-positional players in Tyler Callihan, Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, Alika Williams and Nick Yorke ahead of Johnson.
If anything, Johnson proved that he could hit at a high level this spring. He batted .368 (7 for 19) with a double, a triple and five RBIs for a 1.026 OPS and drew as many walks (five) as he had strikeouts.
“He’s grown a lot, just his maturity, the questions he asks, his work and the way he goes about it,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “Continuing to mature, continuing to get better from a skill development standpoint out on the field and being around the big league camp and maturing, I definitely see growth there.”
Kelly noted that Johnson is “really young” to play so well in Double-A, where he batted .272/.363/.382 with 15 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 35 RBIs and 67 runs scored in 119 games for the Curve last season.
“For him to have the season he had last year and continue to show that growth and development and maturity on and off the field,” Kelly said, “I’m really proud of him.”
Yet Johnson has slipped from the Pirates’ No. 2 prospect, No. 23 by MLB Pipeline and No. 49 by Baseball America in 2023 to out of the top 100 rankings despite what he calls a “career year” in helping Altoona to the Eastern League playoffs. He doesn’t turn 22 until June 11, so he’s not willing to accept that his star is falling.
Johnson has put in more work on the preparation side, which includes improving his conditioning by taking Pilates classes this spring. At 5-foot-7, 201 pounds, he’s short and compact. He has worked with Curve bench coach Gary Green, a renowned infield coach, to improve his defense. Johnson’s carrying tool is his bat, and his fast hands allow him to barrel on the ball. He wants to use his legs more to tap into his power.
“I’m putting that all together,” Johnson said. “I’ve got the power. I got the contact. It was never gone but I put more emphasis on it and do a really good job with it. To be able to see results translate in the game is promising. It lets you know that you’re on the right track with the work you’re doing.”
