Five under the radar MLB prospects that will make a lot of noise in 2025

3. Termarr Johnson, Pittsburgh Pirates

Termarr Johnson has one of the more interesting cases on this list as an underrated prospect. Johnson was drafted fourth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2022 draft, and was heralded as one of the best pure hitters in the class. He had a good professional debut in 2022 and really had his "prospect breakout" in 2023.

In 462 plate appearances between Low-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro in 2023, Johnson posted an impressive .860 OPS with a 141 wRC+. That performance earned him a non-roster invite to spring training in 2024 where he had a 1.052 OPS in 25 plate appearances, but he then seemingly took a step back in the regular season at High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona.

While his 2024 performance wasn't quite on par with his 2023 or spring training performance, 2024 wasn't a bad season on the whole for Johnson. He posted a slash line of .237/.366/.386, good for a .752 OPS and a 121 wRC+ along with 15 home runs and 22 stolen bases. Regardless, it seems like Johnson has been written off in many ways because of the high expectations he brought into his professional career that he hasn't quite lived up to.

I wouldn't be so quick to write Johnson off, as he's still only 20 years old and doesn't turn 21 until June. He's still ahead of schedule in terms of the typical prospect timeline.

On top of that, Johnson is a "high floor" bat and also provides value in other facets of the game. Even though he didn't slug .400 at either of his stops in 2024, he still put together a productive season at the plate because of his ability to make a lot of contact and draw a lot of walks. I believe what we saw from Johnson in 2024 is pretty close to his floor in the minors at least, and it's more likely he puts up a season similar to his 2023 campaign in 2025.

Like I said previously, Johnson can impact the game in more ways than one. He should be a 20+ stolen base threat over full seasons and is also an above-average defender at second base along with an ability to plug in at shortstop if he needs to. He's currently ranked as the 83rd best prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, but I believe he can earn himself a spot in the top 50 by the end of the season.