Termarr Johnson had a great first week in the Arizona Fall League.
The middle infield prospect, drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates fourth overall in 2022, went 4-for-10 in three games played, hitting a home run and a triple, while walking five times. The home run came in the first AFL at-bat for Johnson, and he’s gone on to record a hit in all three games played.
Johnson was promoted to Altoona at the end of the 2024 season, after spending most of the year in High-A Greensboro. The AFL will give him an extended look at upper-level pitching, which should help to prepare him for next season. So far, it looks like Johnson is handling things well.
Siani Leads the Other Hitters
Sammy Siani has also gotten off to a hot start in the AFL, going 5-for-13 with a homer and a double in his first week. Siani homered in his first game played, and has picked up a hit in all three contests.
The Pirates drafted Siani in the late first round in 2019 out of the prep ranks. He’s stalled in the lower levels, and was delayed due to the pandemic. In 2024, Siani made it up to Double-A, and was starting to consistently hit by the end of the year. It’s good to see him carry that over to the AFL.
Kervin Pichardo went 2-for-7, getting a hit in both games played last week, including a double. Pichardo was acquired by the Pirates at the start of this season, and spent his age-22 year in Altoona. He was also showing better hitting at the end of the year, and will look to carry that over into this league.
Geovanny Planchart went 2-for-7, also with a hit in both games played. The catcher is a defensive specialists who doesn’t do much at the plate, but who has made it to the Double-A level on the quality of the defense. One of his hits was a double, and he caught two games.
Curtis Goes Long
Right-handed pitcher Khristian Curtis pitched three scoreless innings in relief during his first AFL appearance.
The Pirates drafted Curtis in the 12th round out of college in 2023. The Arizona State pitcher didn’t have a lot of experience on the mound, despite coming into pro ball with a six pitch mix. Curtis spent the entire season in Single-A Bradenton, where he put up a 4.06 ERA in 75.1 innings, with an 81:39 K/BB.
Curtis has historically dealt with control issues, with a mid-90s fastball and a swing and miss slider leading his arsenal. His first AFL appearance saw no walks or hits allowed, with two strikeouts.
Next year will be the age 23 season for Curtis, and he should move up to Double-A at some point. He could get an aggressive push past Greensboro if he continues showing that he can handle upper-level hitters.
Week One Pitching
Valentin Linarez was a late addition to the AFL roster, taking the place of Mike Burrows. The right-handed Linarez pitched 1.1 perfect innings in his AFL debut. Linarez is a hard throwing reliever who began his season in Altoona, before struggling and moving back down to Single-A for the remainder of the year.
Eddy Yean made two appearances this past week. The right-handed reliever allowed a run in the first outing, then pitched a scoreless inning in the second appearance. Yean was acquired in the Josh Bell trade in 2021, and took a step forward in the bullpen this season, eventually making it up to Triple-A.
Brandan Bidois gave up six runs in his first appearance, then pitched a scoreless inning his second time around. Bidois hasn’t pitched much above A-ball, but has upper-level stuff. He also has some control problems that have shown up with four walks so far in 1.1 AFL innings.
Derek Diamond allowed four runs, two earned, in two innings of long-relief this week. Diamond has spent the last two seasons in the High-A Greensboro rotation, after being drafted in the sixth round in 2022. He and Curtis should get the most innings of the pitching group.
