LSU Tigers Baseball Coach Talks Strong Connection With Pittsburgh Pirates

The LSU Tigers baseball team is turning into even more of an MLB factory than it was before, under head coach Jay Johnson, and there is one team in particular that is paying very close attention.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have become an MLB pipeline for former Tigers, with a couple of important picks over the last couple of seasons. Paul Skenes was the first overall pick in 2023 and is one of the faces in the league. Jared Jones slipped later into the ninth, but has been great to start his career. Derek Curiel was just taken No. 5 overall in 2026 and just signed his contract.

With Curiel signing his contract, Jay Johnson headed to Pittsburgh to celebrate. He also spoke with MLB.com's Jason Mackey to talk a little bit about the connection between the teams.

"It's pretty awesome," Johnson said, also calling it one of the top nights of his coaching career. "I've had a lot of respect for Ben Cherington [Pirates general manager] for a long time. He's one of the best baseball people and minds I know," said Johnson.

The feeling was mutual with Cherington, who has been with Pittsburgh since 2019.

"We’re going to continue our collaboration in building the Pirates brick-by-brick,” Cherington said. “Obviously impressive what Jay’s built at LSU. We’re excited to get a chance to work with guys that he has, too.”

It's worth noting that the Pirates are clearly paying attention to the same high school talent that the Tigers are, as they signed Konnor Griffin to a massive contract to keep him out of Baton Rouge. Not that scouting Griffin was very hard in the first place, but it's just been another connection.

There's no reason for Pittsburgh to shy away from it, if it continues to bring good results. Curiel seems like a fairly safe talent that will at least make it to the league, and the team can't have any complaints about the other two who have already hit the field.

Skenes was dominant right out of the gates. Now that he has had somewhat of a normal season for an MLB pitcher, people are starting to freak out. He's going to be one of the most valuable players in baseball for the next decade.

Jones has a longer path to MLB as a ninth-round pick, but he's doing the right things. So far in 2026, across a couple of different levels, he has slashed .327/.431/.509 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI.