LOS ANGELES — Termarr Johnson doesn’t lack for confidence.
Not in a cocky way or anything like that, but there’s a clear belief in himself, the type of swagger that leads one to say the following after the Pirates made him the fourth overall pick on Sunday at the MLB draft.
“I think the Pittsburgh Pirates got the best player in the draft,” Johnson said in a room adjacent to L.A. Live’s Xbox Plaza, where he was surrounded by two dozen family members and friends.
Johnson, a high school hitting phenom from Mays High School in Atlanta, has plenty of reason to believe in himself. The fourth-best player available according to MLB Pipeline, scouts have said Johnson might be one of the best high school hitters in decades, seemingly making him an easy selection at No. 4 overall.
“Seeing the ball, using my eyes, it’s a gift for me,” Johnson said. “I know I’m going to be facing guys with great stuff, but I hope to keep doing that and continue my success.”
Johnson is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound middle infielder who many see switching to second base at the next level, though he — no shock — believes he’s good enough to stick at shortstop. MLB Pipeline graded Johnson’s bat as a 70 on scouts’ traditional 20-to-80 scale, projecting him as a 20-to-30-homer guy in the big leagues.
An Arizona State recruit, Johnson was selected to play in the 2021 Perfect Game All-American Classic and was a 2022 Preseason All-American and Southeast All-Region First Team selection.
The fourth pick in the MLB draft carries a slot value of $7,002,100, which will come from the Pirates’ fourth-largest bonus pool of $13,733,900.
Baseball America tabbed Johnson as the fourth-best prospect available and considered him “best pure hitter” among prep players. Also looking at strictly high schoolers, he was considered the second closest to the majors and third-best defensive infielder by Baseball America.
“I love this game,” Johnson said. “It’s my passion. It’s given me a lot. I want to give it all back.”
Among the top draft prospects, Johnson was the first off the board who was here in person. It’s something he chalked up to attending the festivities last year at Coors Field in Denver — he took part in the high school events — and watching Henry Davis and others enjoy themselves.
Fellow Pirates prospects Bubba Chandler and Braylon Bishop are two players Johnson knows from playing against them in showcase tournaments, but no Pittsburgh sales pitch was necessary. Johnson said he’s pumped to join the Pirates.
“It definitely excites me,” Johnson said. “It makes me feel prepared to go to work and make sure the rebuild is successful.”
Pirates fans should love the affable and polite Johnson. As he exited his formal interview here, he screamed “Let’s go, Pittsburgh!” While posing for pictures, Johnson couldn’t help dancing and laughing with his brothers.
How Johnson carries himself is something he attributed to how he was raised by his parents, Terry and Kim. After an appearance on SiriusXM, Johnson walked out to the street to sign autographs and pose for pictures with a group of young kids calling his name. He was one of the only players here to do that.
“I go about life like every day is my last,” Johnson said. “I like to give people good impressions. I like to be personable. I like to treat myself like a regular person. I like to say ‘hey’ to everybody. I like to hug everybody, shake everybody’s hand and be respectful to everybody because that’s how I was raised.”
With their compensatory-round pick (36th overall), the Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington from Campbell University, a high-ceiling hurler MLB Pipeline had ranked 45th among draft-eligible prospects.
A 21-year-old from Sanford, N.C. who’s listed at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Harrington began his college career as a walk-on and became the Big South Conference freshman of the year in 2021.
Harrington primarily throws a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s. The pitch has exceptional movement, and he pairs it with an above-average changeup. He also has a solid slider and a usable curveball.
This past spring, Harrington had a 2.53 ERA in 15 starts totaling 92 2/3 innings, with 18 walks and 111 strikeouts.
The run on college arms continued for the Pirates in the second round with the 44th pick of the MLB draft, as they took lefty Hunter Barco from Florida, who’s coming off Tommy John surgery.
MLB Pipeline considered Barco the 75th-best prospect available. Barco is a 21-year-old from Jacksonville, Fla. He made nine starts before surgery, going 5-2 with a 2.50 ERA and 69 strikeouts across 50 1/3 innings.
Barco was the highest-ranked lefty available in the 2019 MLB draft but didn’t go until the 24th round because teams knew he was committed to Florida. While relying primarily on fastballs and sliders, Barco sits around 92 mph with his velocity and has touched 95.
