Post-draft lottery mock drafts already have Orioles targeting a familiar demographic

Mock drafts in the offseason are basically baseball’s version of ordering appetizers when you’re starving — it’s not the meal, but it tells you what kind of night it’s going to be.

And right now? Two of the big early boards are already steering the Baltimore Orioles toward the same player at No. 7 overall: LSU outfielder Derek Curiel. MLB Pipeline’s first full 2026 mock draft has Baltimore taking Curiel at seven, noting the upside hinges on how much power comes and whether he can truly stick in center.  Bleacher Report’s post-lottery first-round mock also slots Curiel to the O’s at seven, leaning hard into the hit tool, on-base ability, and center-field profile. 

Orioles linked to Derek Curiel in multiple mock drafts and it fits the plan

The funny part is it doesn’t feel like a “mock draft coincidence.” It feels like people reading the Orioles like a book. Curiel is the kind of prospect Baltimore has been comfortable betting on: advanced feel to hit, strike-zone control, and enough athleticism to stay up the middle.

As a freshman on LSU’s national title team, Curiel hit .345/.470/.519 with nearly as many walks as strikeouts. LSU’s own bio backs up the production and the role. Here’s where it stops feeling like draft-board fan fiction.

The Orioles just moved one of their more interesting young outfield bets — Slater de Brun — in that December deal with Tampa Bay for Shane Baz. De Brun was exactly the kind of demographic that keeps showing up in Baltimore’s pipeline plan.

Baltimore clearly chose (A). Baz cost them four prospects, plus a Competitive Balance Round A pick, with de Brun listed as the Rays’ headline get. If you’re going to cash in a young outfielder for controllable pitching, the natural organizational instinct is to backfill that lane.

That’s Curiel in a nutshell. Left-handed bat with proven SEC performance. If you’re the Orioles, this is the sweet spot: you can sell floor to a fanbase that wants impact soon, while still chasing ceiling because the player is young, athletic, and not physically maxed out yet. Will he actually be the pick in 2026? Who knows — we’re one hot spring away from the entire top 10 reshuffling.

But when both MLB.com and Bleacher Report land on the same name for Baltimore at No. 7 right after the Orioles ship out Slater de Brun? That’s not random. That’s people connecting dots.