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Pirates No. 1 pick Termarr Johnson 'not too worried' about hamstring strain

Kevin Gorman
| Thursday, February 23, 2023 10:12 a.m.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Pirates first-round draft pick Termarr Johnson smiles July 29, 2022, after signing with the team at PNC Park.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Termarr Johnson is disappointed that his first major-league spring training was interrupted by an injury, but the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2022 first-round pick hopes for a quick recovery.

Johnson was shut down for 10-14 days with a right hamstring strain, an injury that occurred when he was fielding a grounder and tried to make a play up the middle early in Tuesday’s practice at Pirate City.

“I’m not the most happy about it, but I know God has a plan for me so I’m not too worried about it,” Johnson told the Tribune-Review. “I’m just going to work my butt off in the rehab and make sure I’m ready when my 10 days are up.

“The plan is to play baseball, whether it’s now, the next 10 days or whenever the season is starting. The biggest thing for me is I want to be healthy when the season starts. I want to make sure that I’m able to play every game and not have this happen again.”

The 18-year-old Johnson, chosen No. 4 overall last July and signed to a $7.219 million bonus, is the youngest player in the Pirates’ camp. Selected as a shortstop out of Atlanta’s Mays High School, he was playing second base when he felt like his hamstring was cramping.

“It was kind of a freak injury,” Johnson said. “I just sat down because there was no point going out there if it was a cramp. I just waited to see, but I knew if I had just kept going, it probably would have just gotten worse. I just went back to the locker room and tried to figure everything out with the trainers. I knew it wasn’t something where I could just get a drink of water and it would go away. I had to pay attention to my body.”

Regarded as the best prep hitter to enter the draft in decades, Johnson is ranked the Pirates’ top prospect by Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline and No. 2 by Baseball America and is considered a top-50 prospect by most scouting services.

Johnson believes he got better in his short time competing with major leaguers and other top prospects, especially outfielder Matt Gorski, and improved at both the plate and in the field.

“I learned a lot about myself,” Johnson said. “I got to meet a lot of players — a lot of prospects, a lot of veterans — and I got to pick their brains. I think I’m a better hitter now. I’m definitely a better fielder. I feel like I can take what I learned from him and become a better hitter.

“Every at-bat, I try to work to get my pitch. When I get my pitch, I try to not miss it. I think that’s what makes me a good hitter. Now, I’m going to be a better hitter. It’s only up from here.”


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