Pirates pick prep middle infielder Termarr Johnson with No. 4 overall pick in MLB Draft

With their first-round pick in the MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected a self-described “baseball rat” who analysts are calling the best pure hitting prospect in decades.

Termarr Johnson prefers a different description: “I like to say I’m the smartest hitter.”

After taking the 18-year-old middle infielder from Atlanta (Ga.) Mays High School with the No. 4 overall pick Sunday night, Johnson told MLB Network that the Pirates are getting “the best player in the draft.”

Primed and ready to go.

The @Pirates got a real one in @JohnsonTermarr. pic.twitter.com/7Gy8pzERbi

— MLB (@MLB) July 18, 2022

Johnson later told Pittsburgh reporters on a video conference call that he couldn’t wait to get back into the batting cage after he leaves the MLB Draft in Los Angeles.

“I’m feeling on top of the moon,” Johnson said. “I’m just happy to be in this position and happy that the Pirates picked me. I bring a dynamic player. I bring a baseball rat into the Pirates organization. I believe the Pirates got one of the best players in the draft, if not the best player in the draft. I know I’m going to work hard to make sure that I am the best player in the draft, because at the end of the day, that is my goal: to be the best player in the draft and the most successful player out of the draft, not just to get drafted.”

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Johnson played shortstop in high school but is projected to play second base. As a junior in 2021, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound left-handed hitter hit .417 with eight doubles, five triples, nine home runs and 23 stolen bases and was rated by Baseball America as the No. 1 high school draft prospect in the country. The slot value for the No. 4 pick is $7,002,100. The Pirates have the fourth-largest bonus pool in the draft at $13,733,900.

“We are thrilled to select Termarr with the No. 4 overall selection,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement. “We held true to our board and selected who we believe was the best available talent. Termarr has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order impact bat at a premium position. He possesses excellent athleticism and equally as good bat-to-ball skills, giving him the potential to join other players to make a significant, everyday impact on future winning Pirates teams.”

Pirates select Termarr Johnson with the 4th pick!

The 18-year old 2B is thought to be the best pure prep hitter in decades with ELITE contact and discipline! pic.twitter.com/7wr7dhs4JK

— Farm To Fame (@FarmToFame_) July 17, 2022

Baseball America draft writer Carlos Collazo gave Johnson a double-plus hit grades and called him the “best pure hitter in this draft class.”

“He does everything you want an elite hitter to do: He has the bat speed. He has the pitch recognition. He has bat-to-ball skills. He can turn on the ball and hit for power, with 60-grade power. He can go the other way,” Collazo said on MLB Network. “It really doesn’t matter where he’s playing defensively. He’s going to be an impact bat, and he’s definitely the best high school hitter I’ve ever seen.”

Here's a compilation of Termarr Johnson clips from last summer: pic.twitter.com/bIYsofJSvg

— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) July 12, 2022

MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds called Johnson a “shining light” for Major League Baseball, given that he participated in its RBI program, Elite Development Invitationals and draft combine. Reynolds said Johnson told him, “I am not here without Major League Baseball investing in me.”

“He’s an attraction, a gate attraction,” Reynolds said. “The left-handed bat with power works. He’s one of the best high school hitters I have seen in many, many years — I’m talking Griffey and A-Rod, the best high school hitters coming out. You can compare him to that. They drafted him as a shortstop. His hands are there, but I see him quick to the big leagues as a second baseman.”

Campbell RHP Thomas Harrington was the surprise standout, grading above avg to excellent at almost every metric they have: 4th in arm speed, 100% efficiency (arm speed over stress), low in shoulder stress, high in hip-shoulder separation, etc. Can see why numbers teams love him. pic.twitter.com/hCS5AMeAcu

— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) July 16, 2022

Cherington suggested earlier this month that the Pirates believed that while the draft was position player-heavy in the first round, pitchers could be found later. They took a pair in their next two picks.

With their second pick, No. 36 overall in the Competitive Balance round, the Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington of Campbell University, who was ranked the No. 48 prospect in the draft by Baseball America. The 6-2, 185-pounder went from walk-on to Friday night starter, compiling an 18-5 record with a 2.94 ERA and 186 strikeouts against 46 walks over 168 1/3 innings in 29 starts in two seasons. Harrington posted a 2.53 ERA in 92 2/3 innings over 15 starts this past season, posting a 30% strikeout rate against a 4.9% walk rate. The slot value for the No. 36 pick is $2,149,200.

With the No. 44 pick in the second round, the Pirates then plucked Florida left-hander Hunter Barco, who is ranked the No. 69 prospect by Baseball America and was projected as a first-rounder before undergoing Tommy John surgery. The 6-4, 210-pounder has a low arm slot and an above-average sweeping slider, a fastball that touches the mid-90s and a changeup. He had a 4.01 ERA in 83 innings over 16 starts in 2021 and a 2.50 ERA in 50 1/3 innings over nine starts before being shut down for surgery. The slot value for the No. 44 pick is $1,775,200.

The draft’s first three picks were legacy prospects whose fathers played professional sports, and it marked the first time in MLB Draft history that the first two picks were the sons of former major league players.

At No. 1 overall, the Baltimore Orioles selected shortstop Jackson Holliday of Stillwater (Okla.) High School, the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday and grandson of Uniontown native Tom Holliday. The only other son of a former major leaguer selected with the top pick is Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.

At No. 2, the Arizona Diamondbacks took outfielder Druw Jones of Norcross (Ga.) Wesleyan High School, the son of former Atlanta Braves 10-time Gold Glove center fielder and five-time All-Star Andruw Jones.

The Texas Rangers used the No. 3 choice on right-hander Kumar Rocker, the former Vanderbilt pitcher who was taken 10th overall by the New York Mets last year but didn’t sign. Rocker, who played this season for the independent Tri-City Valley Cats, is the son of former Philadelphia Eagles defensive line coach Tracy Rocker.

The second day of the draft starts at 2 p.m. Monday.