NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt All-American third baseman Pedro Alvarez will be sidelined at least six weeks with a broken bone in his right hand.

Alvarez, considered a possible No. 1 draft pick in June, injured the hand in his first at-bat of the season against Oregon State last Friday and was held out of games against Arizona State and Miami (Ohio).

"This is an unfortunate situation for Pedro," Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said in a statement today. "Obviously, we will miss having him in the lineup and in the field. He is a special player that can't be replaced. This is the kind of injury you don't rush back from and we hope to have him back at full strength later in the season."

Alvarez was a major offensive force last season, when the Commodores were ranked No. 1 for most of the year before being upset by Michigan in the NCAA regionals. He hit .386 with 18 homers and 68 RBIs and firmly established himself as one of the best position players in the country.

The junior is a two-time All-American and began the season as a candidate for National Player of the Year. He has also been one of the leading hitters on the USA Baseball National Team the past two summers.

Alvarez entered the season with a career .359 batting average, 40 home runs and 132 RBIs. He was a 14th-round draft pick of Boston out of Horace Mann High School in New York City in 2005, but instead opted for college.