BRADENTON, Fla. -- No need to bury the lede: Termarr Johnson's right hamstring is already feeling better.
The Pirates' first-round draft pick from last year strained it during fielding drills on Tuesday and walked back to the clubhouse before getting to swing a bat on the field that day. With a slight limp in his step, the plan to get the Pirates' first-round draft pick a taste of major-league camp became more or less just that: A taste.
"I was very surprised when it happened," Johnson told me at his locker at Pirate City. "I didn't realize that at the first instant. When I got a chance to sit down, it was like, 'wow, that happened.'
"It could have been way worse. I'm grateful it's not way worse, and I know I can work my butt off to get back."
Johnson will be withheld from baseball activities for at least nine days, possibly two weeks, before the team reevaluates the strain, which greatly hinders his chances of appearing in a spring game with the big-leaguers. In a way, it is disappointing because Johnson feels he gets to know his teammates best when playing alongside them.
But looking at the big picture for the 18-year-old infielder, it's a bump in the road, and one he won't let impact the season as a whole.
"I'm not to sure of when I'll get back, but I know when I get back, I'll be ready," Johnson said.
The first full year of pro ball is always a big one for a young player, and Johnson got a bit of a taste of it last year with a late season promotion to Class Low-A Bradenton. The Pirates are willing to put him on a faster track to the majors than most teenagers if he proves he can handle it.
He sounds up to the challenge.
"I learned a lot about the pro game," Johnson said. "Pitchers are different. Sequences are different. The game is a bit faster. The biggest thing for me as an infielder is I've got to take control of the ball, so I put a lot of focus on that. Taking care of the ball and being a reliable infielder, because I want to play there for a very long time."
Some of the things he needs to continue to improve on to stick up the middle are making sure he's more mobile, has that lateral movement, get quicker with the first step and make sure he's properly set up pre-pitch. If you ask most Class A infielders, they'll give you similar answers.
"I need to make sure I do the little things right," he said.
Pirates’ 2022 first round pick Termarr Johnson takes some swings in MLB camp. pic.twitter.com/XNKYAHULJa
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) February 20, 2023
So far, he's done that. It's why he was taken fourth overall in last year's draft, and why he's ranked by Baseball America as the Pirates' No. 2 prospect, sandwiched between Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis. It's a lot of potential pressure for a teenager, being one of the players viewed as the future of the franchise.
He's always been good at handling that pressure. It comes with having three older brothers and consistently playing at an older age range. It's why he was considered the top hitter in last year's draft prospects, and why the Pirates were willing to advance him to Class Low-A Bradenton ahead of his draft class.
"When you play in the big leagues, there's going to be a lot of eyes on you," Johnson said on dealing with the pressure. "There's going to be a lot of fans in the stands, a lot of people watching you, in the stands or no TV. For me, it's try to make people happy. In this game, I think I can make people happy. Make people smile. Make people very excited about this game. Just play baseball."
That lesson is easier said than learned. Andrew McCutchen, for example, had a very different mindset going into his fist major-league spring training when he was also a teenager.
"I just remember having so much energy and feeling like I needed to prove something to people," McCutchen said. "When you’re a 19-year-old, I guess that’s the way you’re going to feel. I was a first-rounder and trying to prove myself to guys you don’t know. I just remember warming up and I was skipping and jumping as high as I possibly could. Then we were doing a little running and I was trying to be first. I just remember some guys had smirks on their faces wondering what I was trying to prove. It turned out I didn’t have to prove anything. Just go out and play."
That's not the case for Johnson.
"I pride myself on working hard and playing baseball, and that's what I was doing coming out here," Johnson said. "I wasn't necessarily trying to prove anything. No matter what I do, I wasn't going to be able to make the opening day roster because of how many at-bats I had [in the minors]. I know for me, it's not necessarily trying to prove anything, it's just going out there, putting my best foot forward and playing the game that I love."
Playing baseball is the easy, natural part for Johnson. If it stays that way, he's well on his way to coming to a major-league spring training with a potential job up for grabs.
"It's just baseball to me," Johnson said. "I just try to treat it like a game. I came here being ready to play baseball. I didn't really think about how, 'hey, this level is the highest level.' I'm not really worried about that. I'm just going in there, try to work my a-- off and play baseball."
