​The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed outfielder Derek Curiel, the fifth overall pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft. “It’s been a dream come true,” Curiel, 21, said during a press conference Sunday at PNC Park. “Been a lot of years of hard work since I was 3 years old, lot of time at the field, working hard, making a decision to go to college, choose to get better, develop. It’s been great. … Sowing in some great things, and now we get to reap the reward, and then now we’ve got to go and sow in some more and then reap the reward later.”Curiel attended Louisiana State University from 2025 to 2026. Baseball America recognized him as the best hitter and one of the top defensive outfielders among all college-level players in this year’s draft.In his sophomore season in 2026, Curiel was an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, committing only two errors in 134 total chances for a .985 fielding percentage. During that season with the Tigers, he hit .353 (82-for-232) with 18 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 46 RBI, 34 walks, 13 stolen bases, a .957 OPS and 64 runs scored in 58 games. Curiel was named an All-Southeastern Conference second-team selection and was also selected to the conference’s All-Defensive Team.As a freshman in 2025, Curiel was the D1Baseball National Freshman of the Year and an All-SEC second-team selection. He was also named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team after batting .345 (89-for-258) with 20 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 55 RBI, 53 walks, a .990 OPS and 67 runs in 68 games. He helped lead the Tigers to their eighth national championship, which was their second in three seasons.Over his two seasons at Louisiana State University, Curiel hit a combined .349 (171-for-490) with 38 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 101 RBI, 16 stolen bases, 87 walks, a .975 OPS and 131 runs scored in 126 games. He made just two errors in more than 232 total chances for a .991 fielding percentage during his two years with the Tigers.Pirates scout Wayne Mathis signed Curiel. The Pirates have now signed 16 of their 21 total selections from this year’s draft.Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW