Pirates Arizona Fall League overview 2024

Baseball can be a humbling sport, and there’s no question Termarr Johnson has learned that over his two-plus years of pro ball since the Pirates took him No. 4 overall in the 2022 Draft. But thankfully, it’s done nothing to dampen his confidence.

“I’m just trying to continue to do whatever I can to continue to make sure that I’m in the best position possible, because I know I’m the best hitter in the world,” said the Pirates’ No. 3 prospect (MLB No. 75) after he went 2-for-4 with a home run in his AFL debut for the Scottsdale Scorpions.

He knows there’s work to be done. Though he did reach Double-A at age 20, Johnson sports a career .239/.390/.406 line over 252 Minor League games. He has shown plenty of discipline at the plate (18.6 percent walk rate), but even he would admit that the strikeouts (23.6 percent) have come a little more frequently than expected.

“I learned a lot,” Johnson said about his 2024 season. “It was just fun learning a lot about myself. I’m very happy with what I’ve done, but I’m always hungry for more. Even if I was batting .400, I’d probably want more than that, too. I’m happy for what I did do, happy for my teammates, and all the games that I helped them win. But I want to do more, so I’m excited for that.”

That’s a big reason why he’s fired up about getting to extend his season this fall. There were some improvements at the plate for the left-handed hitter in 2024, including his K rate dropping to 21.3 percent. He’s clearly not satisfied with where he is, even with his strong sense of self, realizing that his experience with the Scorpions will only help him down the future.

“I want to learn more about myself that’s going to help me be the best big leaguer I can be,” Johnson said. “I want to be the best player on the field every time that I’m out there. Learning from my teammates here, learning from my coaches here, learning from the experience here is going to help me get to that.”

One thing that has helped him get to that along the way has been his brother’s music. Terrenz Johnson, often performing under the name Levels, has produced tunes that have served as his brother’s walk-up music. AFL fans could be treated to some new selections, though it appears that the league does not offer music for hitters as is now customary during the regular season.

“Oh yeah, if they do a walk up song here, I’ll try to debut a few,” Johnson said. “He has a lot of songs for me that I can use for my walk up, and I’m very excited about that.”

Pirates hitters in the Fall League

Kervin Pichardo, INF: Originally signed by the Phillies in June of 2019, Pichardo was first sent to the Padres in a March 2022 trade, then was on the move again this past April to the Pirates in return for lefty Jackson Wolf. Playing every day for the first time, Pichardo showed off an intriguing combination of swing decisions and athleticism with Double-A Altoona while being able to play three infield positions capably.

Geovanny Planchart, C: Planchart joined the organization near the end of the 2018-19 international signing period for just $41,000. Since then, he’s established a reputation for being a glove-first backstop. Though he’s yet to show much production with the bat, he did reach Double-A for the first time this season ahead of his 23rd birthday.

Sammy Siani, OF: Taken No. 37 overall in the 2019 Draft, the younger brother of Cardinals outfielder Michael Siani struggled for much of his two first full seasons of pro ball. A change to his swing path — he’s much less steep now — led to his first prolonged success with High-A Greensboro, and he earned a promotion to Double-A. He’s making a lot more contact now and trying to carry over that success to the AFL, where his speed and above-average defense should also be on display.

Pirates pitchers in the Fall League

Khristian Curtis, RHP (No. 27): While injuries have plagued him in both college and in 2024, the Pirates’ 12th-round pick in 2023 has shown the ability to miss bats when he’s been on the mound. His fastball velocity took a nice jump this year, averaging 95.4 mph with Single-A Bradenton with much more vertical break. Curtis has a full array of secondary offerings in a cutter, changeup and two distinct breaking balls, and he just needs more mound time to trust his stuff and find the strike zone more consistently.

Derek Diamond, RHP: A sixth-round pick by the Pirates out of Mississippi in 2022, Diamond has shown the ability to throw a ton of strikes over two years of pro ball, walking just 2.1 per nine in his career and only 1.8/9 in 2024 with High-A Greensboro. The Pirates like his bulldog mentality, and he’s working on his pitch design to build off that foundation of finding the zone as he reaches the upper levels.

Valentin Linarez, RHP: Signed back in January of 2018 for $45,000, Linarez was developed as a starter before moving to the bullpen in 2023. He started to figure some things out with High-A Greensboro this year, striking out 15.3 per nine to earn his first promotion to Double-A. He’s imposing at 6-foot-5 with the chance to have a fastball-slider combination that could look good coming out of a big league bullpen.

Eddy Yean, RHP: If Yean’s improvements in 2024 are for real, Pirates fans could see him help out the big league bullpen in 2025. He has an upper-90s turbo sinker that plays well and his nasty slider complements it. He’s an imposing presence on the mound who did a much better job of throwing strikes this past season, the biggest reason for his improved performance this year.