​LSU baseball star sophomore outfielder Derek Curiel was selected 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 marks LSU coach Jay Johnson and the program’s return to a first-round pick for the second consecutive year, following Kade Anderson’s No. 3 overall selection to the Seattle Mariners in 2025, and continues a recent stretch of high-profile picks for the Tigers that includes Paul Skenes going No. 1 overall to Pittsburgh in 2023. MLB.com projects Curiel’s slot value at No. 5 to be $8.34 million.
Curiel has long been recognized as LSU’s top professional prospect, a status he solidified after being regarded as a premier high school talent two years prior before choosing to enroll at Baton Rouge. Over the past two seasons with the Tigers, he has showcased versatility in the outfield, logging time at both left field and center field. Offensively, the lefthanded hitter turned in a strong .349 batting average and a .975 on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) this past season, while adding 13 home runs across two campaigns and posting a career .522 slugging percentage.
In total, Curiel has been one of LSU’s most productive all-around offensive players, contributing 38 doubles over two seasons, scoring 131 runs, and driving in 101 RBIs. He has drawn 87 walks and swiped 16 bases, highlighting a blend of power, patience, and speed that has underscored his value to the Tigers’ lineup.
Beyond his on-field performance, there was notable discussion regarding whether Curiel would return for his junior season after LSU’s disappointing 2026 campaign. In a May radio appearance on ESPN 104.5, Curiel indicated he had discussed the possibility of remaining at LSU with Johnson but was keeping his options open. “I definitely don’t have all my eggs in one basket yet,” Curiel said. “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 at @ByCoryDiaz. For questions regarding LSU athletics, you can reach Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com. This article originally appeared in Lafayette Daily Advertiser and has been optimized for broader search visibility with the aim of highlighting what Derek Curiel brings to the Pittsburgh Pirates and how his LSU tenure has shaped his professional trajectory.