Will former Pirates top prospect Termarr Johnson ever put it all together?

The Pirates hit multiple home runs in the first round of the MLB draft over the past four years, beginning with Paul Skenes in 2023.

Skenes, Konnor Griffin, and Seth Hernandez possess some of the best young talent in all of baseball and were selected in three consecutive drafts from 2023 to 2025.

The Pirates’ first-round pick before Skenes hasn’t panned out nearly as well.

Pittsburgh selected second baseman Termarr Johnson fourth overall in 2022. Johnson was regarded as the best prep bat available and one of the top high school hitters the draft had seen in years.

Fast forward four years and a once bright future looks darker than the Pirates’ current playoff hopes. 

Standing at 5-foot-7 and 200 pounds, the young middle infielder hit under .200 at Triple-A Indianapolis before suffering a season-ending left knee injury.

Johnson underwent surgery on Thursday to repair his left ACL and also endured an LCL procedure.

It’s a serious injury that could affect a portion of his 2027 season and was described by Pirates Senior Director of Sports Medicine Todd Tomczyk as “pretty traumatic” when he spoke to the media last week.

In 96 games, Johnson slashed .199/.336/.319 with a career-low .655 OPS, 90 points lower than last year.

He is only a career .239 hitter over five years in the minor leagues over 467 games. Johnson slugged 14 doubles, eight home runs, and drove in 37 runs prior to the injury, but he has always left more to be desired.

A strong contact-first approach was Johnson’s calling card out of high school and was expected to hit for a high average. His best mark came in a full season with the Double-A Altoona Curve last year, hitting .272 in 119 games.

Johnson struck out 101 times this season, over a strikeout per game, and isn’t an elite defender at second.

Will Johnson ever figure it out in the minor leagues before he even gets a crack at the majors?

His home run totals have plummeted every season after a career-best 18 during his first full year of pro baseball in 2023. 

It hasn’t clicked. Johnson hasn’t rapidly advanced through the minor leagues like many projected he would.

The former No. 4 overall pick used to be a top 50 prospect in the sport. Now he is the 19th best prospect in the Pirates’ own farm system, according to MLB Pipeline.

The odds of Johnson becoming the Pirates’ second baseman of the future continue to plummet, especially with Nick Gonzales emerging as one of the best contact hitters in baseball and likely moving to second if Brandon Lowe leaves in free agency.

The power isn’t there. The highly-regarded hit tool has taken a hit. Fielding leaves some to be desired.

Johnson is in jeopardy of falling into a category with Tony Sanchez, Travis Swaggerty, Will Craig, and others who never panned out as Pirates first-round picks.

He is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this offseason and will need to be protected by the Pirates and added to the 40-man roster.

The Pirates have a decision on their hands for what could be the worst draft pick of the Ben Cherington era.