'Dream Come True': Derek Curiel Signs With The Pirates

By Staff Reporter•Jul 26, 20269:04 pm•

Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Former LSU baseball player Derek Curiel officially signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend after he was selected 5th overall by the team earlier this month. Per TRIBLive:

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The 21-year-old center fielder from LSU, selected fifth overall in the 2026 MLB Draft, signed with the Pirates for a $6.2 million bonus. Slot value for the No. 5 overall pick was $8,336,500, so the Pirates saved $2.1 million to spend on other picks at over-slot bonuses.

“It’s been a dream come true,” Curiel said Sunday morning at an introductory news conference at PNC Park. “It’s in my blood. I’ve loved watching baseball since I was a kid. My parents always telling me, ‘You can do that.’ It’s always been, at least in my head — maybe that’s a little crazy — that I can do it.”

A 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-handed hitter, Curiel had a .349/.452/.522 slash line with 38 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 101 RBIs in 126 games over two seasons for the Tigers, who won the 2025 College World Series championship. Curiel batted .353/.431/.526 with 18 doubles, two triples, six homers, 46 RBIs and 64 runs scored in 2026.