When the Pirates announced Friday that they had signed their first-round pick, Termarr Johnson had already begun his trip around PNC Park's field.
After making the lap around the diamond and introducing himself to players and members of the front office, he then grabbed a bat and helmet and went into the cage for three rounds of batting practice.
"It’s amazing, to say the least. I did a lot of that on MLB: The Show," Johnson said in the press conference room at PNC Park, referencing the popular video game series. "Just doing it in real life, with my own swing, it’s kind cool. It’s really cool."
Playing The Show, Johnson joked that he would make his player as tall as possible, a jab at his expense at his 5'10" frame. The game has a noticeable shortcoming compared to the real thing, though.
"On The Show, they don't show if the ball hits the water, and I know one day I'm going to hit the water," he said.
He may not have hit the water Friday, but Johnson did launch a few into the seats, including one that hit the newly constructed bar in right-center. It was a hint of what he could do as a hitter, and why Baseball America named him the top hitter in this year's draft class.
After being selected by the Pirates with the fourth overall pick in the draft on July 17, Johnson officially became a Pirate Friday by signing. Per a source, his bonus is for $7,219,000, a little over the slot value for the No. 4 pick, $7,005,800.
"We had a sense of confidence that he wanted to start his career," Ben Cherington said. "We felt very strongly that the Pirates would be a great place for him to start. We thought there was a good relationship there. We certainly wanted to sign him but there was no agreement [when we drafted him]. As these things happen here, it took a few days to work through and we had good conversations with [Roc Nation agent] Brodie [Van Wagenen] and the family and eventually found something that I think made sense to everybody so I’m glad we’re here today.”
Johnson showed that desire to getting into pro ball the night he was drafted, saying that he was the "best player in the draft" and that the Pirates were "getting a ring" by drafting him. All of a sudden, calling a river blast years in advance seems like less of a lofty proclamation.
It's a confidence that comes from being the youngest of four brothers, a trait that stood out when the Pirates were considering drafting him.
"When I had my conversation with him after we drafted him," Derek Shelton said. "I told him, ‘I love your confidence, man.’ We drafted Henry [Davis] last year. He's confident. To get another like that … I love guys who believe in in their abilities. And then the other thing is, once we got him starting to talk to people just about how much fun he has playing the game. Like, that's awesome. That fits right into what we're doing."
Almost two weeks after the declaration, Johnson is standing by it, too.
"I was being real with what I thought," Johnson said. "It’s true — everything I’m going to do in this organization, with the game of baseball. I still stand by it. I hope to have the results and work hard to be the best player in the draft."
He's also pretty confident that he could make the jump to the majors. During his introductory press conference with the Orioles, No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday said he'd be in the majors in two years.
Johnson didn't go that far, but he is sure that he'll get a chance to put a ball in the Allegheny river sooner rather than later.
"I don't know what the Pirates have planned for me, but I want to get here as soon as possible," Johnson said. "If it was up to me, I'd be up here tomorrow. I'd be up here today. I'd be up here tonight. I know that the Pirates have a plan for me. They'll know when I'm ready, and I'll know when I'm ready. We're just going to make it happen."
That type of attitude is one of the points that drew the Pirates to Johnson, as well as that sweet swing that he showed off in the batting cage.
“I’ll just go off what our scouts have been telling us for the past year: It’s that combination of bat speed with power, with contact and the ability to manipulate the barrel," Cherington said. "Those three things combined I think is why people say really good things about him as a hitter. There’s lots of runway in front of him. There’s things he’s going to learn about himself and about the competition. Hitting is a hard thing and he’ll keep getting better at it. We’re definitely excited about the potential he has as an offensive player."
For now, Johnson is going to return home to Atlanta briefly before going to Pirate City to start his professional career.
Before he gets there, he was asked if he had a moment from the time he was drafted to Friday that he would remember.
"That picture after I put the uniform on with my family," he said. "And shaking hands with my new boss [Cherington]. It’s definitely something I’ll never forget."
