What LSU baseball's Derek Curiel brings to Pittsburgh Pirates

LSU baseball star sophomore outfielder Derek Curiel was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, July 11.

His selection gives LSU coach Jay Johnson and his program a first-round pick for the second year in a row (Kade Anderson went No. 3 overall to the Seattle Mariners in 2025) and three in the four years. Paul Skenes was taken No. 1 overall in 2023 by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

According to MLB.com, Curiel’s projected slot value at No. 5 is $8.34 million.

Curiel has been the top professional prospect for LSU for the past two seasons as he was widely considered a high-value high school prospect two years ago but opted to go to Baton Rouge.

Across two seasons with the Tigers, Curiel played left field and centerfield this past season. Offensively, the lefthanded hitter batted .349 with a .975 OPS. He hit 13 home runs in two seasons with a career .522 slugging percentage.

Curiel was one of LSU’s top all-around offensive players, hitting 38 doubles the past two years, scoring 131 runs along with 101 RBIs. He drew 87 walks and stole 16 bases.

There was some consternation about Curiel and whether or not he would return to LSU for his junior season shortly after the end of LSU’s disappointing 2026 campaign.

In a radio interview earlier this summer, Curiel said he had had talks with Johnson about the possibility of coming back to school but that he was keeping his options open.

“I definitely don’t have all my eggs in one basket yet,” Curiel said on ESPN 104.5 in May. “I’ve definitely talked to (LSU coach Jay) Johnson. I obviously want to be a Tiger forever. I told him, if there’s a coach I could play for forever, it would be him.”

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: What LSU baseball’s Derek Curiel brings to Pittsburgh Pirates