The Pittsburgh Pirates selected OF Derek Curiel out of LSU with the No. 5 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a lot of success with their first-round draft picks in recent years, both with pitchers and position players.
Looking to keep that trend going, the Pirates selected OF Derek Curiel out of LSU with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Given that the Pirates' farm system is loaded with young and promising arms, it’s no surprise that Pittsburgh opted to select a position player with upside at the plate.
With that in mind, some view this pick as a slight reach for the Pirates. Curiel was ranked as the third-best outfielder in the draft by MLB Pipeline, with both Drew Burress and Eric Booth Jr. still on the board when Pittsburgh made its selection.
Curiel is coming off a stellar sophomore season with the Tigers. In 58 games, he logged a .345/.470/.519 slash. The left-hander may have hit only 13 home runs in his collegiate season, but the power potential is definitely there.
Apr 28, 2026; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Louisiana State Tigers outfielder Derek Curiel (6) runs against Southeastern Louisiana at Alex Box Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn ImagesCuriel ended up with a max exit velocity of 110.8 mph, which ranked in the 86th percentile, EV90 of 105.1 mph, which ranked in the 84th percentile, and a barrel rate of 5.4 percent, which ranked in th 37th percentile, per 6-4-3 Charts.
Curiel’s has also shown the potential to adapt quickly to professional pitching. In today’s game, where fastball velocity is a key indicator of a pitcher, the left-hander had a .435 AVG and a .650 SLG on pitches 93+ mph, as shown on the draft’s broadcast.
Something that immediately stands out with Curiel, though, is his age. The outfielder is 21 years old and has the potential to quickly move through the Minor Leagues.
The Pirates have recently advanced their first-round picks through the farm system quickly, with Konnor Griffin (2024) and Paul Skenes (2023) as prime examples.
Time will tell if Curiel will follow a similar path and impact the big-league team sooner rather than later.
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