Pedro Alvarez is finally a pro.
The Washington Heights native, who starred at Horace Mann in The Bronx before becoming an All-American at Vanderbilt, signed just minutes before Friday night’s midnight deadline for a deal worth $6 million.
The third-baseman was selected with the second-overall pick in June’s amateur draft following a junior season that began with the lefty hitting Alvarez breaking a bone in his hand, but ended with him rebounding to hit .317 with nine homers.
“Pedro Alvarez is an accomplished college hitter with the potential to be a middle-of-the-order bat at the major league level for us,” Pirates GM Neal Huntington said in a statement. “Equally important, he is a quality young man who comes from a very strong family. We appreciate their trust in the Pirates organization. Pedro is a high-end talent. We are excited to add him to our system and about the potential impact he can have.”
The 21-year-old took on Scott Boras as an adviser, leading many to believe a deal would likely not come much before the deadline, if at all. If the two sides hadn’t come to an agreement, Alvarez could have gone back to school and entered the draft again next year or played for an independent team. Instead, he becomes a centerpiece of Pittsburgh’s farm system. His signing was a key for the Pirates, who have new management and wanted to prove they could secure a high-profile player like Alvarez.
He was originally drafted coming out of Horace Mann in the 14th round by the Red Sox in 2005, but turned down $850,000 to go to Vanderbilt.