Jase

Bowen

Miranda hit .304/.373/.522 this spring, but his fate was sealed when the Padres committed to Ty France as a bench guy. Sears probably would have had a rotation spot with a strong spring, but he turned in an 8.44 ERA in his three starts. If the Padres had it to do over again, they probably would have non-tendered him in November instead of retaining him for $2.75 million.

The 25-year-old outfielder spent the first seven years of his minor league career in the Pirates’ organization. In 2025, Bowen slashed .272/.353/.449 with nine homers, 37 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 366 plate appearances across four minor league levels.

Bowen’s 40 total bases currently leads all batters in the AFL and is hitting .359/.423/.625 with three homers and two stolen bases. Bowen, the Pirates 11th round draft pick in 2019, will need to be added to the Pirates’ 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. On the season, the 23-year-old hit .255/.327/.467 with 26 stolen bases and 23 home runs across High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona. If he continues his hot-hitting ways in the desert, he will likely secure a precious spot on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster.

Bowen is impressing people as one of the top-performing hitters in the AFL. He’s hitting .394 with a 1.065 OPS so far with a 90.6 mph average exit velocity and 15 base hits. This season, Bowen hit 23 home runs and stole 26 bases between High-A and Double-A while registering 95 RBI and 86 runs scored, so he could work his way into the conversation in Pittsburgh sooner rather than later.