- Slug: Sports-Arizona Fall League Johnson, 800 words.
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By Jalen Weathers
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – The USA men’s baseball Premier12 team visited Phoenix Municipal Stadium recently to face Arizona State in a tune-up game as the U.S. prepared for the upcoming World Baseball Softball Confederation Championship.
But for infielder Termarr Johnson of Team USA, it was much more than just an exhibition game.
Johnson committed to play at ASU in 2021 before the Pittsburgh Pirates made him the fourth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. He had been projected as high as No. 1 overall due to his exceptional play at Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta and at the MLB High School All-American Showcase.
He was at the top of ASU’s recruiting list, too, but when Pittsburgh offered him a $7.2 million signing bonus, Johnson made the decision to forgo college baseball and sign with the Pirates.
Sam Pereza, Arizona State’s baseball recruiting coordinator, said there were no hard feelings. College baseball programs are accustomed to losing top recruits to the pros – and Johnson’s bonus was a record at the time for a No. 4 pick.
“There was no animosity whatsoever,” Pereza said. “The kid did a great job, and he knew he had a home here, for sure. But he was a high draft pick. He got what he deserved, and we’ll see him in the big leagues soon.”
Pereza saw potential in Johnson on the diamond, but also in the classroom during the recruiting process.
“It was a really good process,” Pereza said. “He was an outstanding young man with a great family. They came down to ASU and we all went to dinner. They’re really big on academics, so it was a pleasure to have him on campus.”
Although Johnson is not physically at Arizona State, he decided to continue furthering his education, taking online classes at the university. He is pursuing a business degree from W.P. Carey School of Business.
“I’m very happy,” Johnson said. “I’m still able to be a Sun Devil and that’s very important to me. I’ve been trying to knock out as many classes as I can, but college is hard, man.”
Johnson is currently in the Valley representing the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, an offseason baseball league operated by MLB that showcases many of the game’s top young talent.
Johnson is also on the USA Premier12 team along with 27 other players representing the U.S. in the tournament, which features the 12 highest-ranked national teams in the world. The U.S. opens tournament play against Puerto Rico Saturday in Santa Teresita, Mexico. Tournament games are being played in Mexico, Japan and Taipei, Taiwan.
The U.S. roster consists of 15 pitchers and 13 position players who are not currently on Major League Baseball 40-man rosters. It also features four USA Baseball alumni and four MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects.
Representing USA Baseball is nothing new for Johnson, as he previously made the 15U and 18U national teams. In eight games for the USA Baseball 15U team, he led the team in runs scored with nine, stolen bases with nine and tied for second in multi-hit games with two. He hit one of Team USA’s three triples in the tournament.
He hit .421, the second-best batting average for the 18U national team, and led it with five stolen bases. He also had a team-high seven RBIs and was one of four players to tally a home run.
Now representing his country for the third time, Johnson hopes to leave his mark on the Premier12 event as well.
“For one, getting a gold medal and bringing it back home for everybody would be amazing,” Johnson said. “I want to learn as much as I can from these veterans. We have a lot of guys who have been through, and learned a lot, in this game. So I’m just trying to take what I can from those guys to better myself.”
Before joining Team USA for the Premier12 tournament, Johnson played most of the 2024 season with the Pirates’ High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers. He was promoted late in the season to the Double-A Altoona Curve. Between the two, he recorded a .237 batting average with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs while stealing 22 bases in 124 games.
Against ASU in the tune-up game for Team USA, he went 0-for-1 with two sacrifice flies as USA beat ASU, 4-3. Ben Kelley, the director of baseball operations for USA Baseball, expects Johnson to have an impact as the Premier12 tournament unfolds.
“Termarr’s a natural leader,” Kelley said. “He’s a guy that people are naturally drawn to. He’s vocal, energetic, and brings a lot of energy in the way he plays.
“I think physically he can provide pop with the bat. He’s an athlete and a glove that’s versatile in the infield. I think his skill set is just a perfect fit for what we’re trying to do.”
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