LSU outfielder Derek Curiel (6) stretches but is can't make it in time to be safe at first base during an NCAA regional baseball game against Dallas Baptist on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

PHILADELPHIA — For the second time in as many years and third time in the last four drafts, the Pirates took a trip to the Bayou to find a draft pick.

This year, that brought them outfielder Derek Curiel with the fifth pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Curiel joins Paul Skenes (2023) and Jared Jones (2025) as former Louisiana State Tigers who were drafted by the Pirates.

“I think it’s awesome,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson told the Mirror. “I think they’re on the rise, obviously, with Paul spearheading it and just really proud of Derek. He turned down a couple million dollars out of high school and made good on it, and that’s what we want to be. We want to be a training ground to get your players ready for Major League Baseball, and this one’s on his way to being ready.”

The No. 12-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Curiel was projected initially to be a first-round selection out of high school in 2024 but elected to go to LSU instead.

“I didn’t know what to expect going to Louisiana, playing in the Southeastern Conference,” Curiel said. “I mean, new teammates. We had like two California guys. They were all older than me. I was the only incoming freshman who was an outfielder, so obviously I spent time with guys much older than me, and I think that just made me better. Being around guys who had more knowledge than me, who had more experience than me, pushed me to be better, and they showed me what it took.”

It certainly worked out for Curiel as he excelled on the 2024 National Championship Tigers team as a freshman hitting .345/.470/.519 during the regular season and .390 in the NCAA Tournament. He hit in front of Jones in the lineup for Johnson’s squad.

Curiel has been compared to Brewers All-Star Christian Yelich at his age, but the trait that Johnson loves the most for him is his consistency.

“Same guy every day and loves to play baseball,” Johnson said. “He brings his talent to the field of skill to help the team win that day. There might be some guys with maybe more raw power, raw speed. I think you’d argue to find a better baseball player this year in this draft than Derek.”

When Curiel arrived in Baton Rouge, it followed a senior season that wasn’t up to his expectations and saw him arrive on campus undersized compared to his peers. By the time he left, that certainly wasn’t the case as his growth in the weight room impressed Johnson.

“I think the strength piece probably more than anything else. And that’s the part that I’m proud of,” Johnson said. “He invested in the weight room. I think he really proved his ability to hit the highest level of pitching. I just saw a stat where he hit .440 on pitches 93 and above, and he’s probably a one-of-one guy in college baseball this year that did that.”

To be able to do that it takes that same consistent approach each day at the park Johnson mentioned.

“The carrying tool for me is consistency,” Johnson said. “It’s not a guy I worry about with a 162 game season because he’s the same guy every day and there’s not a lot of weaknesses in his game. He impacts it in one of the top 2 spots in the order, is a gold glove center fielder for the entire country this year and the base-running ability and instincts are elite. There’s a guy that has played at a high level the second he stepped on the baseball field.”

Curiel described himself as a gritty player and modeled his game after Pete Rose, who his father was a fan of growing up.

“I like to get dirty. I like to dive head first. Like to make diving plays. Take the extra base when I can. Drag bunt, push bunt. Score runs on offense and save runs on defense is the best way I try to describe it,” Curiel said. “And I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to help the team win. Whether that’s draw a walk, make a diving catch whatever the game accounts for, I try to do that.”

He’s the next in a line of draft picks with great expectations joining Skenes, Konnor Griffin and Seth Hernandez.

“I can’t wait to be teammmates. I competed with and against all those guys, so I know what they bring and know what I bring, and I think all of us on the same team is going to be pretty special,” Curiel said. “Those guys have been killing it, and I think that speaks to the Pirates’ development system in their minor leagues.”

The slot value of the fifth pick is approximately $8.34 million and the Pirates will need to get him signed before he will report to Pirate City, but he’s eager to get started and begin his professional career.

“I can’t wait to get in there, see what they have for me, what I need to get better on, what I need to work on,” Curiel said. “I’m just excited to learn. I’m going to be a sponge going into the camp and just learning.”

Elsewhere:

n The Pirates selected shortstop Aiden Ruiz with the 44th pick in the MLB Draft. Ruiz is a Vanderbilt commit, but the Stony Brook School product was slated as the 10th ranked high school player in the 2026 draft.

n With their Competitive Balance B pick, the Pirates selected second baseman Chris Rembert out of Auburn. Rembert, a sophomore, hit .343 for the Tigers in 2026 and was first-team All-SEC.

n Outifleder Jason DeCaro was selected in the third round with the 80th pick. DeCaro, a pitcher out of North Carolina, was 11-3 with a 2.87 ERA for the Tar Heels and helped lead the way on the College World Series run.

n The Pirates selected Andruw Giles with the 108th pick of the draft. Giles graduated from the Basic Academy of International Studies in Nevada where he slashed .404/.606/.935 as a senior.