Termarr Johnson is starting to show his power. On Wednesday, the 2022 fourth overall pick went 1-for-4, with two walks and his third homer of the year.
The first home run of the year from Johnson came on April 28th. From that point, he didn’t have an extra base hit until May 14th. His output has picked up over the last week, with extra base hits in each of his last four games.
Johnson hit two doubles in the second game of a double header on May 18th. He followed that with his second homer of the year the next night. After a day off on Monday, Johnson opened the week with a double on Tuesday, followed by the home run on Wednesday night.
The 2023 season showed that Johnson has power to all fields, with a good ability to adjust to difficult pitches, and a high walk rate. He’s starting to recapture that hitting profile in his second full professional season.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS lost 8-7 in 11 innings.
- DH Jake Lamb: 4-for-5, 2B, BB
- RF Matt Fraizer: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, BB, 3 RBI
- 1B Matt Gorski: 1-for-4, 3B, BB, 2 RBI
- SS Liover Peguero: 1-for-3, 3 BB
- PH-C Henry Davis: 1-for-1, 2B, RBI
Jake Lamb continues hitting for Indianapolis. After a four hit day on Wednesday, Lamb is batting .350/.440/.512 in 123 at-bats. He’s in his age 33 season, and has mostly been in the .600-.700 OPS range in the majors since 2018. His Triple-A performance stands out due to the struggles of Rowdy Tellez in the majors. I’m more interested in Matt Gorski getting time at first base. Gorski can play center field with positive value, but has the power to handle first, and has been hitting for power lately in Triple-A.
STATCAST HEROES
The home run by Matt Fraizer traveled 394 feet with a 98.9 MPH exit velocity. Lamb had two hits with an exit velocity over 100 MPH. The triple from Gorski traveled 378 feet at 103.9 MPH.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA won 2-0.
- RHP Sean Sullivan: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
- 1B Seth Beer: 3-for-4, HR, RBI
- SS Tsung-Che Cheng: 2-for-4, 2B
- RHP Eddy Yean: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
- LHP Nick Dombkowski: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Sean Sullivan is looking like one of the best candidates for a promotion to Triple-A. This is the second year for Sullivan in Altoona, and he’s taken a step forward with his production this year. He had a 3.88 ERA in 2023 after 113.2 innings, but has improved to a 2.66 ERA in 40.2 innings this year. He’s not a dominant pitcher, lacking elite strikeout results. Sullivan stands out for his ability to throw strikes, with a bit of a deceptive delivery. He’s got a shot to one day be a reliever in the majors, and could work out of a Triple-A rotation. Seth Beer would get attention as a 27-year-old first baseman hitting for power, except like Jake Lamb, the minor league numbers come with the disclaimer of his advanced age and experience.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO lost 14-12
- LF P.J. Hilson: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI
- SS Jack Brannigan: 2-for-6, 2B
- 1B Nick Cimillo: 2-for-4, HR, 2 BB
- C Geovanny Planchart: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
- RF Hudson Head: 1-for-3, 2 BB
This was one of those games where the home park in Greensboro led to a lot of runs. The Grasshoppers combined for four home runs, including one from Termarr Johnson and two from P.J. Hilson. This was the second multi-homer game for Hilson in the last week. He was added to the system in the minor league Rule 5 draft this past offseason, and has been a good stabilizing force for the A-ball teams. Alessandro Ercolani was hit around in his start, allowing ten runs, nine earned, in 2.1 innings, with two homers allowed.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON won 7-1.
- RHP Antwone Kelly: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
- LF Braylon Bishop: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, SB
- SS Keiner Delgado: 2-for-5, SB
- 3B Javier Rivas: 2-for-3, 2B, BB
- C Omar Alfonzo: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB
Braylon Bishop was added to the Marauders roster on May 15th, going 0-for-3 in his first game back at the level, after four games in early April. He went 1-for-9 with a walk in April. Since his May 15th game, he’s gone 7-for-15 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run over his last four games. Bradenton had six stolen bases on Wednesday, including a double steal started by Bishop that saw Axiel Plaz steal home.
STATCAST HEROES
This was one of the best starts of the year for 20-year-old right-hander Antwone Kelly, who features some of the best stuff in the Marauders rotation. Kelly averaged 94.7 MPH with his fastball, touching 97.6 MPH. He had four whiffs on 16 swings against the pitch. He saw better results from the changeup (6 whiffs on 13 swings) and the cutter (3 whiffs on 10 swings). The double from Bishop had a 107.4 MPH exit velocity.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 7:38 PM – LHP Michael Plassmeyer (1-3, 5.96)
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:05 PM – RHP Drake Fellows (0-0, 1.64)
- High-A: Greensboro, 6:30 PM – LHP Hunter Barco (0-1, 2.23)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 PM – RHP Carlson Reed (3-1, 1.71)
- Rookie: FCL Pirates, 12:00 PM – TBD
