First a Commodore, now a Pirate, Pedro Alvarez ought to have his own ship.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected the Vanderbilt third baseman as the No. 2 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft last week. 

"With Alvarez, we look at a guy who can hit in the middle of the order and be a strong lineup presence," said Pirates general manager Neal Huntington one day before the selection. "His injury did hurt him this year, but it is not a concern long-term." 

Alvarez was consistently mentioned among the top three players available in the Draft, even though he missed 23 of his team's first 24 games this season. He broke the hamate bone in his right hand in the Commodores' season-opening game against Oregon State.

The selection of Alvarez marks just the third time in the last 11 years that the Pirates have taken a position player with their first round pick. The last time the Pirates used their top pick to select a third baseman was in 1986, when they made Jeff King the overall No. 1 pick.

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