Derek Curiel didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called.
The LSU All-American outfielder was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in Saturday’s Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
Curiel entered Saturday’s draft ranked as the No. 12 overall draft prospect by MLB.com. He becomes the fifth Tiger star in five seasons that has been selected in the Top 5 overall, and the sixth first-round selection in five seasons.
Curiel made an immediate impact for LSU in his freshman season in 2025.
He started all 68 games, batted a team-high .345 on the year with 20 doubles, two triples, seven homers, 55 RBI and 67 runs, as he helped lead LSU to the NCAA College World Series National Championship.
Curiel was named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team after hitting .316 with three RBI and three runs, and was the Tigers’ leading hitter in NCAA Tournament games, batting .390 with four doubles, one homer, 10 RBI and 13 runs.
He followed that up this past season by batting .353 with 18 doubles, six home runs, 46 RBI, and scoring 64 runs.
Curiel is joining a Pittsburgh organization where former LSU star Paul Skenes has become a three-time NL All-Star and Cy Young Award winner. Skenes was selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.
In Jay Johnson’s tenure as Tigers’ skipper, LSU has produced now 37 drafted players and counting, with six selections in the first round, 17 selections in the first five rounds, and 25 selections in the first 10 rounds.
Since 1984, LSU players have been selected in the MLB Draft on 251 occasions – 129 pitchers and 122 position players – an average of nearly seven players per season.
The Tigers have produced 22 first-round selections since 1989.