Prospect Watch: Termarr Johnson Has 12 Homers Since June 2nd

The Prospect Watch has been a core feature on this site since the beginning. When this site was just me, one of the core reasons to start this site was to provide a place to track the daily happenings in the minor league system.

This feature has undergone many changes over the years, and there are a lot of other minor league reports these days. When I started this feature, it wasn’t even common to see video of players on the internet. I’ve mentioned before that I was once prohibited from sharing video of Joely Rodriguez pitching in short-season A-ball, which isn’t even a thing anymore.

It was clear that this article needed a new format with the change in times. Going forward, this article will be led by a player of the day, followed by ten more prospects who stood out the previous day.

Player of the Day

TERMARR JOHNSON, 2B, BRADENTON

In the top of the first inning, Termarr Johnson took the sixth pitch he saw and hit it for his 13th homer of the season. The 2022 fourth overall pick has been progressing with his hitting by month. His OPS from April through July, respectively: .567, .788, .847, 1.154. His power has arrived over the last two months, with 12 of his 13 home runs since June 2nd.

108 mph wallop far into the Florida night from Termarr Johnson.

On the back of his 13th @The_Marauders tater, the top-ranked @Pirates prospect is slashing .322/.482/.695 in July: pic.twitter.com/DOuRwiVxG4

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 25, 2023

Ten More to Follow

AARON SHACKELFORD, 1B, INDIANAPOLIS

Indianapolis scored 11 runs at home last night, fueled by home runs from Josh Palacios, Chris Owings, and Shackelford. The Indians got off to a big lead, capped by a three run homer from Owings in the bottom of the first inning. By the time Shackelford added two runs with a single in the third, they had an 8-1 lead. After Louisville came back to within two runs in the seventh, Shackelford took the first pitch he saw with one out to hit his 11th homer of the year, giving the bullpen some insurance on a bullpen day.

Shack to the moon.

CONNOR SCOTT, CF, ALTOONA

Altoona got off to an early lead last night, after Connor Scott worked a long at-bat in the second inning, taking the eighth pitch he saw deep for his second home run of the season. This was Scott’s first game in just over a month. When I saw him earlier in the year in Altoona, he displayed some of the best hand/eye coordination on the team, with a quick bat-to-ball approach. He got around quickly on last night’s homer.

Welcome back to the lineup, @connorscott24! His second home run of the season gives us a 2-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/Sw1S4wAIkg

— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) July 25, 2023

MASON MARTIN, 1B, ALTOONA

Prior to the home run from Scott, Mason Martin did his thing, and worked a seven pitch walk. This walk came after Martin went 1-2, fouling off the third and fourth pitches. He watched three balls in a row to get on base. That eventually led to Scott hitting his two run homer on the 15th pitch of the inning, as the second batter with no outs. With Altoona trailing late, Martin added a two-out solo homer in the eighth inning, bringing them to within one.

We have another @masonmartin7 mash! His 16th of the season makes it a one-run game! pic.twitter.com/rkeQCcNC7F

— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) July 26, 2023

JOSIAH SIGHTLER, DH, GREENSBORO

The Pirates recently promoted Josiah Sightler to Greensboro, after the 2022 15th round pick tore up Single-A to the tune of a .536/.583/.964 line in 56 at-bats during the month of July. That includes six home runs. In his first game with Greensboro, Sightler had two hits, a walk, a stolen base, and his night was capped off by an 8th inning home run in a 13-2 victory. Sightler had been injured for the start of his career, and is continuing an impressive pro debut.

Welcome to Greensboro Josiah Sightler!

Hoppers: 11 | Dash: 2 pic.twitter.com/fcZ0HExRoM

— Greensboro Grasshoppers (@GSOHoppers) July 26, 2023

WILL MATTHIESSEN, 1B, GREENSBORO

The Grasshoppers got on the board early after the 11th home run from 6-foot-7 first baseman Will Matthiessen. At age 25, Matthiessen is older than most hitters at the level. He also has the physical advantage. Lately, things have been clicking for him at the plate. His line this month has been .281/.324/.578 with four homers.

Will Matthiessen HOMER!!!

Hoppers: 1 | Dash: 1 pic.twitter.com/CYLO721WIY

— Greensboro Grasshoppers (@GSOHoppers) July 25, 2023

DEREK DIAMOND, RHP, GREENSBORO

The Pirates promoted Diamond, their 2022 6th round pick, along with Sightler. The right-hander had a 3.98 ERA in 74.2 innings with Bradenton, striking out 63 and walking 15. In his first start in High-A, pitching at home in Greensboro, he gave up two runs on six hits in six innings, with no walks and four strikeouts. Diamond was mostly a struggling starter with Mississippi, posting a 6.89 ERA in 65.1 IP during his draft year. His current level is more in-line with college, so prolonged success at this level would represent an improvement.

MALCOM NUNEZ, 1B, BRADENTON

The rehab of Malcom Nunez was moved to Single-A, where he had a great night at the plate. The first baseman went 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. Nunez has been out of action from Indianapolis since May 24th. Prior to his injury, he had a .357/.478/.536 line in 56 at-bats in Triple-A, recovering strong from a slow April.

BRANDAN BIDIOS, RHP, BRADENTON

The Marauders won 8-5, thanks to scoring six runs in innings 6-8. Brandan Bidios pitched two perfect innings of relief, striking out four in the process. Bidios entered with the Marauders down by two runs. After a three run top of the seventh, he returned for his second inning of work. He has a 3.09 ERA in 11.2 innings in relief since June 2nd. This was his first multi-inning appearance since going down with an injury in 2021. Bidios was originally signed out of Australia in September 2019, and has pitched a total of 17.2 innings in pro ball since. It’s good to see him trending well in the Marauders bullpen lately.

DRAKE FELLOWS, RHP, FCL PIRATES

The Pirates added Drake Fellows in the Joe Musgrove trade, and he’s spent most of his time on the injured list, after 11.2 innings pitched in 2021. Fellows made his first rehab appearance yesterday, throwing a scoreless inning in the FCL. The 2019 6th rounder allowed two walks with one strikeout. He was throwing to Carter Bins, who caught the first half of the game.

HUNTER BARCO, LHP, FCL PIRATES

The Pirates drafted Hunter Barco out of Florida last year in the second round, as the left-hander was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He made his pro debut recently in the FCL, throwing two scoreless innings. Yesterday, he made his second appearance, pitching three shutout innings, with one hit, no walks, and three strikeouts.

Yesterday’s Minor League Results

INDIANAPOLIS (45-51) VS Louisville

Score: Indianapolis 11, Louisville 7
Indianapolis Starter: Cody Bolton, RHP (3.51)
–Line: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Player of the Game: Josh Palacios, CF (2-for-3, HR, 2 BB)
Attendance: 10,610

Notable Performers

• Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B (0-for-2, BB)
• Canaan Smith-Njigba, LF (1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB)
• Ryan Vilade, RF (2-for-5, 2 2B)
• Chris Owings, SS (1-for-1, HR, 3 RBI)
• Aaron Shackelford, 1B (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI)

ALTOONA (42-45) AT Harrisburg

Score: Harrisburg 6, Altoona 5
Altoona Starter: Aaron Shortridge, RHP (5.46)
–Line: 5.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 3 HR
Player of the Game: Mason Martin, 1B (1-for-2, HR, SB, 2 BB)
Attendance: 3,686

Notable Performers 

• Connor Scott, DH (1-for-3, HR, BB)
• Matt Fraizer, CF (2-for-3, SB)
• Chavez Young, RF (2-for-4, HR)
• Grant Ford, RHP (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K)

GREENSBORO (45-43) VS Winston-Salem

Score: Greensboro 13, Winston-Salem 2
Greensboro Starter: Derek Diamond, RHP (3.00)
–Line: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Diamond
Attendance: 4,578

Notable Performers

• Josiah Sightler, DH (2-for-4, HR, BB)
• Will Matthiessen, 1B (1-for-4, HR, BB)
• Jack Brannigan, 2B (2-for-5)
• Wyatt Hendrie, C (2-for-4)
• Francisco Acuna, SS (2-for-4, 2B)

BRADENTON (52-38) AT St. Lucie

Score: Bradenton 8, St. Lucie 5
Bradenton Starter: Hung-Leng Chang, RHP (16.88)
–Line: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Termarr Johnson, 2B (1-for-3, HR, 2 BB)
Attendance: 1,444

Notable Performers

• Malcom Nunez, 1B (3-for-4, 2B, BB)
• Omar Alfonzo, C (1-for-2, 2 BB)
• Sergio Umana, RHP (2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K)
• Brandan Bidios, RHP (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K)
• Miguel Fulgencio, LHP (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K)

FCL PIRATES (25-10) VS FCL Red Sox

Score: Red Sox 5, Pirates 4
FCL Pirates Starter: Drake Fellows, RHP (0.00)
–Line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Eddy Rodriguez, LF-1B (2-for-3, HR, BB)
Attendance: N/A

Notable Performers

• Hunter Barco, LHP (3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K)
• Michael Kennedy, LHP (3.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 0 HR)
• Jauri Custodio, RF (2-for-3, 2B)
• Javier Rivas, SS (2-for-4)
• Carter Bins, C (0-for-2)

DSL PIRATES BLACK (13-21) VS DSL Cubs Blue

Score: Cubs 7, Pirates 5
DSL Pirates Black Starter: Janderson Linares, LHP (3.74)
–Line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Linares

DSL PIRATES GOLD (25-10) VS DSL Red Sox Blue

Score: Red Sox 5, Pirates 0
DSL Pirates Gold Starter: Pitterson Rosa, RHP (5.48)
–Line: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Roinny Aguiar, SS (3-for-4)