1st round pick compares game to Pete Rose

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It’s not a comparable you hear about players in 2026, but Pirates first-round pick Derek Curiel models his game after one of the all-time great competitors and MLB all-time hits leader.

“Just kind of gritty mentality, kind of Pete Rose-style baseball,” Curiel said. “I like to get dirty. I like to dive head first. I like to make diving plays, take the extra base when I can. Drag bunt, push bunt. Score runs on offense and save runs on defense is the best way I try to describe it.”

“I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to help the team win, whether that's draw a walk, make a diving catch. Whatever the game calls for, I try to do that.”

Rose played his last game in 1986, Curiel was born in 2005. He obviously never saw him play live, but his father was what Derek called ‘the biggest Pete Rose fan ever’. He said they have a Reds number 14 jersey in the house with ‘Curiel’ on the back. His father grew up a fan of those ‘70s Reds teams that battled with the Pirates.

“No, they're not Reds fans at all,” Curiel said in a Zoom call with Pittsburgh reporters, maybe quickly reading the room. “My dad's just a fan of Pete Rose himself. I'm excited to go and compete against them, but our heart's in Pittsburgh now. Let's go.”

Curiel does fill up a stat sheet from sacrifices to stolen bases and had a .991 career fielding percentage in two seasons at LSU.

“My dad's always told me to play hard, dive, do a lot of stuff, since I was five years old and he would show me Pete Rose highlights,” Curiel said. “Put the ball in play, just do what the game calls for. It's been ingrained since me since I was young.”

Skenes connection

They never got to play together, but Curiel went to LSU right after Paul Skenes and they do have a relationship from a few years back.

“Skenes is killing it,” Curiel, a California native like Skenes, said. “He's a top tier human and a top tier teammate, I'm sure. I never got to play with him at the collegiate level, but him and I used to train together at 108 Performance when I was like nine years old, 10 years old, and he was like 14. I remember he would be lifting in his cowboy boots with his shirt off. Definitely remember him a lot.”

He also knows Konnor Griffin

“Super excited,” Curiel said. “He's, as you guys know, a great baseball player, but even better human. He actually texted me this morning, said 'Good luck today, bro.' He's like, 'I'm praying for you,' and he said 'God's got a plan,' and I fully believe in that. We got to compete together on the U18 USA team in Taiwan. We got to play outfield next to each other.”

“He can do it all. He's a jack of all trades. Obviously, he can be a shortstop. He can play anywhere. So being able to compete with him and the friendship we have is great.”