Byron Buxton

It's unclear if the Pirates will have Bednar close initially, but it's not like they appear to have any particularly strong alternatives. Bednar, unfortunately, has looked more like a mop-up man all spring. His velocity is down 1-2 mph from last year, when he mostly struggled, and he wound up allowing 10 runs -- nine earned -- over eight innings in Grapefruit League play. Dennis Santana and Colin Holderman are the other candidates to factor into the mix for saves in Pittsburgh.

Buxton crushed a ball 437 feet off Kevin Gowdy. Seemingly completely healthy at the moment, he's hit .306/.422/.528 in 53 plate appearances this spring. It won't last forever, but he's a great pick late in mixed-league drafts.

Edouard Julien also had a nice game, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Brooks Lee wound up 1-for-4. It remains to be seen if the Twins are going to find time for all three of their former top prospects on the roster while being committed to playing Ty France at first and giving Harrison Bader a lot of time in left. Miranda remains a wild card, since, unlike Julien and Lee, he's not an option at second. Miranda has played plenty of third this spring, but the Twins haven't given Royce Lewis any time at second, which suggests that arrangement isn't on the table. Miranda, who is batting .321/.382/.464 this spring, will probably be a backup initially, but that could change in an instant if Lewis, Byron Buxton or someone else gets hurt.