The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted three prospects up a level in their minor league system, led by second baseman Termarr Johnson being moved up to Double-A Altoona. LHP Michael Kennedy and infielder Javier Rivas were both promoted from Bradenton to Greensboro. The news was reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.
Johnson is one of the top prospects in the system, and was hitting .238/.372/.385 with 13 homers and 20 stolen bases in High-A. He started off slow, but has been hitting .262/.370/.443 since mid-May, with 12 of his 13 homers.
After slumping a bit in the month of August, Johnson has hit well this week, going 6-for-21 with a homer and a double. He hit both of those in a two-hit game on Friday night. Johnson stole three bases on Saturday, then had a 2-for-4 day on Sunday, stealing his 20th base of the year.
The Pirates drafted Johnson with the fourth overall pick in 2022. He was one of the best pure hitters in the draft, and showed off his pure hitting skills with good adjustments at the plate during Major League Spring Training this year. He’s added some power to his game in the lower levels, and will now get a challenge against more advanced pitchers in Double-A.
Kennedy threw five shutout innings on Sunday, which was the second time in his last three starts that he’s gone five shutout. The lefty has a 2.33 ERA in 19.1 innings during the month of August, with a 20:5 K/BB. On the season, Kennedy has a 4.07 ERA in 73 innings, with an 80:16 K/BB.
The Pirates took Kennedy in the fourth round out of high school in that same 2022 draft, giving him an above-slot bonus. He’s got a three-pitch mix, with a fastball that sits 89-90 and touches 91, along with a slider and a changeup. The secondary stuff has taken a step forward this year, grading above-average. He doesn’t throw with a lot of velocity, but Kennedy is a smart pitcher who mixes his stuff well and keeps batters guessing. I wrote about his progress this year earlier in the season for Baseball America.
Rivas was signed by the Pirates in 2019 out of Venezuela. A 6′ 6″, 165 pound shortstop, he’s got a lot of raw power, which has been on display this year in Bradenton. He has a .233/.383/.393 line with 12 homers and 19 doubles. He had a big month of June, batting .341/.400/.646. Rivas didn’t repeat that in July, but has gotten back on track in August, batting .245/.298/.509 with three homers and five doubles.
On Saturday, Rivas hit a double and a homer on a two hit day. It was his fourth multi-hit game in the month of August. He’s got some swing and miss issues, leading to a 32.2% strikeout rate on the year, along with a 4.4% walk rate. He has shown improvements over last season in Single-A, when he had a 39.1% strikeout rate and didn’t have the power production to go with the swing and miss.
