By Hunt Palmer
Players develop at different rates.
Mikie Mahtook was the SEC Player of the Year as a junior. He was a key cog in a national championship as a freshman. He was awful in his first fall. It took him six months.
It took Andrew Stevenson a year.
Ty Floyd wasn’t great until the tail-end of his junior season. And it came at the right time.
And then some guys are just ready when they show up. Alex Lange, Alex Bregman, Dylan Crews. All ready.
So was Derek Curiel.
As a freshman, Curiel led LSU in hitting over 68 games at .345. He led LSU in hitting in the NCAA Tournament at .390. He led LSU in hitting in the Super Regional at .571.
He’s probably the best bat-to-ball hitter in college baseball today, and he may have been 12 months ago, too. Jay Johnson started recruiting him in the sixth grade, and it paid off.
The precocious sophomore will move over to centerfield this year and prove himself there. Offensively, it’s about adding a little bit more power to that 6-foot-2 frame. But there’s no blossoming for this second-year player. He’s already a star.
WHAT WE KNOW
Curiel just hits.
When LSU had to have him in the dramatic early-morning comeback against Tennessee, he yanked a single through the right side with two outs to set up Jared Jones’s titanic walk off.
When LSU had to have him in the ninth to add some insurance against Arkansas in the CWS opener, he punched a two-strike, two out RBI single to the opposite field off one of the toughest left handers in the tournament in Cole Gibler.
CLUTCH CURIEL 😤@DerekCuriel | ESPN pic.twitter.com/mRzTPNLat0
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) June 15, 2025
When LSU needed a baserunner in the ninth after the Hogs took a 5-3 lead in the bracket final, Curiel singled. Ethan Frey, Steven Milam, Luis Hernandez and Jones handled it from there.
In the title series, LSU won the first game 1-0. Curiel scored the run.
In game two, he laced two-out, two-run RBI single to put the Tigers up 5-1. That was the difference in a 5-3 win to claim the title.
CLUTCH CURIEL 😤@DerekCuriel | ABC pic.twitter.com/JZ6W16nTVc
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) June 22, 2025
Curiel blends impeccable discipline with remarkable hand-eye coordination to hit a ton of line drives. He had 12 more walks than second best on the team and five more doubles than second best.
He’s an above average runner with good instincts and routes in the outfield.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
The easy part here is the batting average and on base percentage. He’ll hit .350 plus and reach base at a .460-ish number. That was .470 last year. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if he bettered that this year.
The question becomes the power. Do the added 15-20 lbs. give him five or six more home runs? It’s not an uppercut swing, but he did hit the ball out of the ballpark seven times last year including a couple to the opposite field. That shows he doesn’t have to sell out to the pull side to hit home runs.
Sixth homer of the year for No. 6@DerekCuriel | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/tExmg4GeRU
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) April 29, 2025
If he hits 15 homers, he’s probably a top five pick in the draft. If it’s closer to five, he probably backs up just a touch, still comfortably in the early to middle first round.
Curiel led off 54 times last year, and I’d be pretty stunned if he didn’t on Friday. When Johnson’s time in Baton Rouge is done, Curiel will be one of the defining players of the era. He’s that special.
Enjoy him for the next five months.
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