Baseball America ranks Pirates' 1st-round pick Termarr Johnson among Top 50 overall

When the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Termarr Johnson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft last month, scouts proclaimed the Georgia prep phenom the best pure hitter in the draft in decades and Johnson declared himself the best player in the draft.

Now, Baseball America is calling Johnson the best prospect in the Pirates’ system — at the expense of a pair of former first-round picks.

Just days after Johnson made his professional debut, the national publication ranked the 18-year-old the organization’s No. 1 prospect and No. 46 in 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,” Baseball America wrote in its scouting report on Johnson. “There are few holes to speak of in his game offensively, and he has a real chance to be a 70-grade hitter.”

Pirates GM Ben Cherington talks about top pick Termarr Johnson, now ranked their top prospect by ⁦@BaseballAmerica⁩. pic.twitter.com/MSvu7Od5WJ

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) August 13, 2022

Johnson is one of four Pirates prospects in Baseball America’s updated top 100 but the only one ranked in the top 50. The Pirates started the season with six players ranked in the top 100 before shortstop Oneil Cruz (No. 14) and right-handed pitcher Roansy Contreras (No. 80) graduated from prospect status.

Where 2019 first-round pick Quinn Priester, a right-hander at Double-A Altoona, moved up to No. 2 in the Pirates system and jumped 21 spots to 67th overall, two other first-rounders slipped in Baseball America’s eyes.

Double-A catcher Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, is now ranked the Pirates’ fourth-best prospect behind Johnson, Priester and shortstop Liover Peguero (No. 80) and dropped 43 spots to No. 84 in the top 100 by Baseball America. Davis remains the Pirates’ top prospect per MLB Pipeline, which hasn’t released its post-draft rankings.

Davis slashed .177/.320/.355 with five doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs in 17 games for the Curve but has missed considerable time with a nondisplaced fracture in his left wrist. Soon after making his pro debut last summer, Davis was shut down with an oblique injury.

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“Part of the problem with Davis’ season is that the 2021 No. 1 overall pick simply hasn’t stayed healthy,” Baseball America wrote in its list of risers and fallers. “A pair of wrist injuries have limited Davis to just 39 non-rehab games, and also cost him a chance to play in the Futures Game.”

Baseball America identified two problems in Davis’ development. The first is his inclination to crowd the plate and get hit by pitches. Before his Double-A debut, Davis called it a “compliment to get hit. It shows respect.” Then he got hit in the left wrist with the fifth pitch of his first at-bat, an injury that has bothered him since.

The second area of concern requires more work, as it involves his play behind the plate.

“The Pirates have tried to get Davis to back off the plate just a bit in order to keep him from getting hit by so many pitches — he has 17 apiece of HBPs and extra-base hits — so he can stay on the field more often and continue to develop,” Baseball America wrote. “Defensively, scouts do not see a player who is particularly mobile and are skeptical he can remain behind the plate. Even if he lives up to his offensive potential, Davis will have to work hard in a catching-rich system to remain Pittsburgh’s catcher of the future.”

Another former first-rounder whose status has slipped is Double-A second baseman Nick Gonzales, the No. 10 overall pick in 2020. Gonzales started the season as the Pirates’ third-best prospect and Baseball America’s No. 49 but has dropped to the Pirates’ No. 7 and out of the top 100.

A heel injury forced him to go on the 60-day injured list. After being activated Friday, Gonzales went 0 for 3 against Binghamton and is slashing .242/.363/.369 with eight doubles, four homers and 15 RBIs in 44 games.

Moving ahead of Gonzales and into the top five of the Pirates’ rankings is right-hander Mike Burrows, who was 4-2 with a 2.94 ERA and 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings in a dozen starts at Altoona to receive an invite to the Futures Game. Burrows earned a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he is 0-3 with a 5.34 ERA in eight appearances.

One of the fastest risers in the Pirates’ system is Endy Rodriguez, a 22-year-old catcher/first baseman/outfielder who was acquired from the New York Mets as part of the three-team trade that sent Joe Musgrove to San Diego. After slashing .302/.392/.544 with 23 doubles, three triples, 16 homers and 55 RBIs in 88 games at High-A Greensboro, Rodriguez was promoted to Altoona and rose to No. 6 in the Pirates’ rankings, per Baseball America.