PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have built most of their team through the MLB Draft and sometimes that means taking extra time to get them ready for their professional career.

The Pirates took LSU outfielder Derek Curiel with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, but he never made his professional debut this season.

It's not entirely unusual for a player to not start their professional career after being drafted, but it's a bit more surprising for a collegiate star like Curiel to not do so.

The Pirates have been cautious with some of their former draft picks, generally their prep selections, but they had their reasons for not having Curiel play just yet.

Why the Pirates Didn't Have Curiel Play in 2026

Curiel had a strong season with LSU, but the Pirates noticed that he needed more time before he started his professional career.

Pirates farm director Michael Chernow noted during a press conference with local media that Curiel has been working hard, but that they wanted to focus on him getting physically ready to take on a professional season, having him prepare for 2027 instead of worrying about 2026.

“Derek is very much getting after it," Chernow said. That’s such a throw-away term there, so I’ll try to be more specific, but upon drafting Derek, we sat down with him, sort of understanding where he was coming in at.

"He had been dealing with some things during the pre-draft process from a physical standpoint that we really wanted to make sure we were taking our time, continuing the rehab he had upon being drafted. Really was at the end of that progression, but we sat down with him to sort of assess what the middle of August through the end of the year and into the offseason looked like.

"Ultimately, after a lot of discussion and collaboration with our performance group and our body team, decided that he would benefit — and the Pirates would benefit for the long-term goals we have for him — from beginning that offseason a little bit earlier and continue to educate in terms of what professional habits look like, what the physical development priorities are for him and get him started on attacking them as early as possible and as aggressively as possible, which, with the way he’s wired, was an easy sell."

What the Pirates Love About Curiel

Curiel didn't just become the fifth overall pick by accident: the Pirates see a future star in him.

He hit .349/.452/.522 for an OPS of .975 in 126 games, with 171 hits, 38 doubles, 13 home runs, 16 stolen bases and 87 walks to 99 strikeouts.

Curiel played both left field and center field, and he showed that he would do whatever was needed for LSU, playing a big role in their winning the 2025 College World Series.

The Pirates saw a player who was not only talented, but willing to do anything to be the best he could and help the team win, which he's shown off the field so far.

"He’s a max-effort guy," Chernow said. "Watching him play at LSU, you see the type of player he is and you hear him talk about that Pete Rose style of play, so though he isn’t actively on a field at Pirate City right now, watching him in classroom settings engaging with his teammates, watching him work in the weight room, he’s been getting after it.

"We’re very excited to see him play when we get to spring training next year, because he’s got the ability to be a dynamic player that can impact the game on both sides of the ball. Certainly has demonstrated some leadership characteristics that we’re excited about as well.”