Derek Curiel Scouting Report

About Curiel…

Out of high school, Derek Curiel was ranked the number 10 overall player in the country according to perfect game in 2024. The West Covina, California native committed to Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers and bursted on to the scene in his freshman season starting all 68 games and hitting .345 with a .990 OPS and 7 home runs, anchoring the Tigers’ 2025 national championship outfield. This was enough to earn him D1 baseball’s national freshman of the year. Heading into the 2026 season, Curiel was slotted in as one of, if not the best outfielders in college baseball. Unfortunately, in November he broke his left ankle and was sidelined from preseason work. After being fully cleared he only had around 3 weeks to prepare for the season before putting up some more stellar numbers, hitting .353 with a .957 OPS for an underperforming LSU team. Now, Curiel heads into the draft in 2026 as a solidified first day pick after etching himself into the LSU history books.

Scouting Report

Derek Curiel is a lean, athletic outfielder from Louisiana State University. At 6’2–190 the left-handed hitter displays a plus hit tool with questionable power and above average defense in center field. At the plate Curiel stands slightly open with his hands up and out in front of his chest. His load includes a slight leg kick, while his hands move straight back. He has shown the ability to spray the ball to all fields with his flatter swing which generates a lot of line drives and ground balls, but his swing can be long at times and he doesn’t have elite bat-speed, causing him to be late against higher velocity. He gets away with putting the ball on the ground due to his plus home to first times from the left-handed batters box. Curiel’s major strength is his well above average contact rates in zone while exhibiting very little whiff and also chasing at a below average clip. As for his power, he has put up some solid exit velo numbers and has even tapped into some pull side pop with a metal bat, however his overall power is fringey at best. There is still room to grow into his frame and maybe tap into some more power but he doesn’t lift the ball enough to put up big home run numbers. Defensively, Curiel can make all the necessary plays to be an above average center fielder in the majors, however his arm strength and accuracy is questionable. He has excellent range, which is aided by his plus speed, and is very good at reading the ball off the bat. Overall, Curiel should stick in center field long term if his arm can be at least serviceable. He has one of the higher floors in this class thanks to his defense and speed but I only see his hit tool being average against higher velocity arms in the MLB. Curiel should still slot into the back half of the first round and should be a serviceable 4th outfielder in the MLB.

Future Value Grades

Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Defense: 55 | Arm: 45 Overall: 45