Termarr Johnson, No. 4 overall pick in the MLB Draft, remains unsigned as deadline nears
Photo by Willie Prince
Termarr Johnson was seen as a dark-horse candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft because of being perceived as a less expensive signing option for the Baltimore Orioles.
But the second baseman out of Mays High School in Georgia, viewed by many as the best pure hitter in the draft, fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates at No. 4.
As the Aug. 1 deadline to sign approaches, Johnson is the highest remaining selection to remain unsigned. He's one of only two first-round picks coming straight out of high school to not sign yet (No. 29 pick Xavier Isaac out of East Forsyth High in North Carolina is the other).
The Pittsburgh Pirates blogosphere isn't worried about it.
The blog rumbunter.com reported Tuesday that the Pirates are working through their lower draft picks first and staying under slot value to make sure they get Johnson the deal he wants at No. 4. Johnson is an Arizona State commit.
The No. 2 pick in the draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, fellow Georgia product Druw Jones, suffered what's feared to be a season-ending shoulder injury at batting practice Monday.
A third Georgia high school player picked in the first round, Buford's Dylan Lesko, signed a $3.9 million deal with the San Diego Padres, nearly $200,000 below the slot value for the No. 15 overall pick. Lesko is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
