Pirates 2022 Draft: Termarr Johnson, Thomas Harrington leading the way for Pirates 2022 draft class

The 2025 outlook for the Pirates' 2022 draft class

Jan 13, 2025

For the first two drafts under Ben Cherington, the Pirates had gone the college hitter route. In 2022, they went off course, selecting prep hitter Termarr Johnson out of Georgia.

Heralded as one of the most polished prep hitters to come out of the draft, it has been an interesting start to Johnson’s pro career.

The Pirates also went college-heavy, especially on the pitching side. After a couple of full years in the organization, one player has emerged as a top 100 prospect, while another has seen their status hurt with his play.

Outside of that, it’s still looking for a player to really jump out as a potential contributor at the major league level.

The standouts

Termarr Johnson
Thomas Harrington

Termarr Johnson was the fourth overall pick, noted for his advanced hit tool (Pipeline gave him a ‘70’). While he has shown elite strike zone awareness, he’s struggled with some in-zone contact, which has limited his batting average.

He’s still just 20 years old and made it to Altoona to close out 2024. He may not be the potential batting champion some thought he’d be, but he is trending towards being capable to some compacity in the majors.

Thomas Harrington went from walk-on at Campbell to the 36th overall pick and is now a Top-100 prospect.

One of the few pitchers to get a ‘70’ grade when it comes to control on Baseball America, Harrington walked just 4% of the batters he faced in 2024. He’s the second-best pitching prospect in a system full of them.

He may not have the same upside as some of them, but his strike-throwing ability makes him a good bet to stick in the rotation.

Looking to separate themselves

Hunter Barco
Jack Brannigan

Hunter Barco was heading towards being a first-round pick but was hurt and eventually needed Tommy John surgery. Last year, the stuff shone through, but another injury cut his season short. He’s 24 now and has four innings at Double-A.

The stuff looked good but needs more innings.

You could have argued that Jack Brannigan should have started 2024 in Altoona but instead headed back to Greensboro. Injuries limited him and likely prevented him from getting a promotion. He’ll be 24 when Opening Day rolls around and has yet to see Double-A.

He’s one of the better defenders in the system and has flashed some power/speed but can struggle with swing and miss.

They both have tools that give them interestingly high floors, but injuries have stunted them getting to their potential ceiling.

Borderline prospects

Derek Diamond
JP Massey
Cy Nielson
Nick Cimillo

Derek Diamond had a good stint in the Arizona Fall League, pitching out of the bullpen. He spent the entire 2024 season in Greensboro. If the stuff plays up more as a reliever, he could be an interesting name to watch. JP Massey has been a high-strikeout, high-walk guy going back to his college days but has stalled out in Greensboro.

He might be another who benefits from a full-time switch to the bullpen.

Cy Nielson has a plus slider but struggled in Altoona. Nick Cimillo put up the contact rates and flashed some power in Altoona but was a bit old for the level (24) and might be a DH-only type of defender, so the bat will have to shine.

Depth Guys

Tres Gonzalez
Josiah Sightler
Mike Walsh
Dominic Perachi
Julian Bosnic
Joshua Loeschorn
Jaycob Deese

Thanks to his advanced bat-to-ball skills, speed, and outfield defense, Tres Gonzalez had some major league bench upside but fell flat in Double-A in 2024. Josiah Sightler has the power but struck out 44% of his plate appearances in High-A.

Mike Walsh and Julian Bosnic have proven to be solid lower-level bullpen options. Jaycob Deese reached Double-A but struggled.

Dominic Perachi topped the century mark when it comes to innings pitched in 2024. Joshua Loeschorn put up some good whiff numbers as a sinker/slider guy in 2023 but missed all last year with an injury.

Not with organization

Michael Kennedy

Tanner Tredaway
Miguel Fulgencio
Elijah Birdsong

Michael Kennedy was included in the trade that netted the Pirates Spencer Horwitz. He put together a strong year in Bradenton, capping off the season with his first double-digit strikeout game as a pro.

Tanner Tredaway played only 45 games before getting released in 2023. Miguel Fulgencio lasted just a year in Bradenton, and Elijah Birdsong is on the Voluntary Retired List.

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