Termarr Johnson makes Altoona Curve debut

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) – Before the Curve’s season began, it wasn’t a matter of if, but instead when Pittsburgh Pirates then-top hitting prospect Termarr Johnson would be playing in Altoona.

It finally came on Tuesday night, which is when Johnson made his debut against New Hampshire. The Curve won 3-1, where the Pirates third-ranked prospect finished 0-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base.

Heading into the 2022 MLB Draft, scouts and analysts graded Johnson as arguably the best pure prep hitter, which led the Pirates to select him fourth overall. Even former Pirates catcher and Sportsnet Pittsburgh analyst Michael McKenry had high praise for Johnson after watching him this year in spring training.

“Termarr may be one of the best minor league prospects I’ve ever seen, and I don’t give that credit very easily,” McKenry said to WTAJ in March.

Johnson didn’t have the start to his 2024 season that many people hoped for. The 83rd-ranked prospect in baseball saw a drop in his batting average, on-base and slugging percentages.

However, he’s started to improve over the past few months, which has led the Pirates organization to call him up to Altoona from Greensboro.

“It felt good. Those last couple of months (I’ve been trying to) hit the ball really hard to my pull side,” the left-handed hitter said. “Just trying to continue to keep that going.”

The one area that Johnson is looking to improve in during his time in Altoona is consistency.

“Just trying to be a little bit more consistent, just honestly get on base. The more I can get on base, the more I can do to help the team win,” the Atlanta native said.

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If he stays consistent and is the player that many people expect he will be, Curve fans can expect a much-needed bolt of lightning heading to the offense.

“You’re going to see me steal some bases. You’ll see me play some great defense. You’re going to see me hit the ball really hard,” Johnson added. “(I’m) trying to put that all together and I’m excited for the fans to see it.”

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