Why the Pirates Bet on Derek Curiel at No. 5

Pirates first-round pick Derek Curiel is officially under contract, and Alex Stumpf came away from his introductory press conference impressed by more than the talent. Alex breaks down what LSU coach Jay Johnson said about Curiel’s growth, the work ethic that started in his family’s backyard batting cage, his early connection to Jacob Gonzalez and why Curiel’s development mindset made him the kind of player Pittsburgh was willing to bet on with the No. 5 pick. Subscribe to Alex’s Book Rule Bucs Substack: https://bookrulebucs.substack.com/ Like the video, subscribe to North Shore Nine and join us every weekday for a new episode of OffBeat. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.