PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – In two days he will head to Bradenton to begin his pro career, but after nearly a week in Pittsburgh, it left some impressions on Pirates first-round pick Derek Curiel as he signed on Sunday.
“I've got to experience a lot of things, got to eat a bunch great food, watching the game and looking forward to the team getting a win tonight," Curiel said with Pittsburgh reporters.
They visited the Roberto Clemente Museum. He would mention food again and really it just seemed like he wanted to be a fan for a last time before he wears more than just a ceremonial uniform.
"Hanging out with casual fans, it's pretty cool to see how much they care, how much this means to them,” Curiel said. “I like the blue-collar work ethic here. It's pretty cool."
This is a dream that Curiel said he could envision since he was three-years-old growing up in California. His father built a batting cage when he was nine and he would spend hours in it. So much time his father installed lights, which caused a few late-night issues with neighbors.
“It was my brother’s first year of junior college,” Curiel said. “It’s still at that house. I hit in the rain in that thing. You can probably see videos of that. I did everything.”
His father instilled that work ethic and Derek just ran with it, deciding to go to college out of high school, playing two successful seasons at LSU.
“I think above all else, there are very few players that I've seen in the college game that impact winning more than he does,” said LSU head coach Jay Johnson. “There's talent and there's usable skill that help your team win, and he brings it on a daily basis.”
“I think the constituency as a person with the skills really make him stand out. One of those rare players where there's very few lows. He's the same player every single day.”
“You look at the performance in the toughest conference in the country right away, stepping day one as a first year at LSU, the individual performance, but also being a part of incredible team success there,” said Pirates GM Ben Cherington. “That just adds another layer to that confidence and trust.”
"A lot of time at the field, working hard, making the decision to go to college, choose to get better, develop,” Curiel said. “It's been great. So many great things, and now I get to reap the reward. Now I've got to go sow some more and reap the reward again later. Definitely enjoying it. Excited to get to work."
‘It’s pretty cool to see how much they care’
‘It’s pretty cool to see how much they care’
