Over at Minor League Ball, John Sickels has released version two of his mock draft. He has many of the same players listed in the top 15-20 as everyone else recently, though he has a new name attached to the Pittsburgh Pirates. 
Sickels has Georgia HS outfielder Clint Frazier going to the Pirates with the ninth overall pick. Frazier has been in the top six for almost all of the season, a few times being named in the top spot overall.
In the 14th spot, Sickels has the Pirates taking Indiana State LHP, Sean Manaea. Like Frazier, Manaea has been at or near the top of this draft class all season long. Both players have recently fallen and for Frazier it is more of a sudden drop.
Manaea has had problems all season, cold weather, a 15 day period in between starts due to weather, a sprained ankle, an injured hip and most recently, a slight drop in velocity. His numbers for the season, despite all of those problems, have not been bad. He is 5-4, 1.47 in 12 starts, with 93 strikeouts and a .190 BAA in 73.1 innings.
Frazier is an interesting case. He has potential to be a middle of the order hitter, with 35-40 homers. He’s very athletic, plays center field and has a great arm. This season, Frazier batted .485 in 114 plate appearances, with 17 homers and a 1.695 OPS. If he somehow drops to the Pirates with the ninth pick, he certainly seems like a no-brainer.
Between the two Pirates picks, from 10-13, Sickels has Trey Ball, Dominic Smith, Reese McGuire and Ian Clarkin. Both Ball and McGuire have been linked to the Pirates numerous times and would be good picks at #9 if Frazier didn’t happen to fall. All four are very interesting names.
Right after Manaea, Sickels has DJ Peterson and JP Crawford. Peterson has also been linked to the Pirates twice recently. While he doesn’t have the appeal of a left-handed starter with great size and a nice track record like Manaea, Crawford might be a more appealing pick at the #14 spot. A HS shortstop, who can stick at the position, plus hit well and add speed at the top of a lineup, might be more tempting than a pitcher who has experienced velocity problems and injury woes this year.
