Alabama/Florida
Athletics
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pedro Alvarez helped lift Vanderbilt baseball to previously unexplored heights—much like the home runs he lofted toward the farthest reaches of Hawkins Field.
When Alvarez arrived in 2005, Tim Corbin had only recently completed his third season as head coach. There were green shoots aplenty—the VandyBoys reached an NCAA Super Regional in Corbin’s second season, when Alvarez was still a high school junior at the Horace Mann School in the Bronx, New York. But the championships and MLB Draft success were still in the future. A high school All-American who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2005, despite his intention to go to college, Alvarez committed because of everything Vanderbilt offered and everything he believed the baseball program could be under Corbin.
Born in the Dominican Republic before moving to New York as a toddler, Alvarez might have loved playing baseball more than anything. But as he told MLBPA.com, his parents Pedro and Luz made it clear from the outset that baseball and an education were a package deal. That led him to Horace Mann and eventually Vanderbilt instead of Boston’s draft bonus.
“My parents kind of ingrained that into our household with me and my sister,’’ Alvarez said. “I would get the speech, ‘If you don’t do well in school, you can’t play baseball.’ Thankfully, I never had to experience that.”
Far from a challenge, Vanderbilt’s academic reputation and rigor proved a selling point for a student-athlete who helped launch the VandyBoys. In 2006, Alvarez was SEC Freshman of the Year, as well as multiple media organizations’ choice as national freshman of the year. Making a home at the hot corner, he hit a program-record 22 home runs and drove in 64 runs in his first season.
A year later, he repeated as a first-team All-American and a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. Only teammate David Price eventually edged him out for the latter award. The Commodores won a team-record 54 games that season, sweeping the SEC regular season and tournament championships for the second time in program history.
Alvarez finished his three seasons as a two-time first-team All-American and three-time first-team All-SEC honoree. The teams he played on reached three consecutive NCAA Tournaments, launching a streak of consecutive appearances that stands at 18 entering the 2025 season.
To this day, no Vanderbilt player has hit more career home runs than Alvarez.
Selected second overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2008 MLB Draft, Alvarez went on to lead the National League in home runs in 2013, win the Silver Slugger as the NL’s best hitter at third base and represent the Pirates in the All-Star Game.
Eventually, the commitment to lifelong learning led him back to Vanderbilt and education. In 2022, he completed his degree in medicine, health and society. He subsequently also returned to Horace Mann, where he is now Director of Wellness at the prestigious college preparatory school.
