Clements' Jack Conlon drafted by Orioles in fourth round

The Baltimore Orioles selected Clements' Jack Conlon on Tuesday in the fourth round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft.

The 6-5, 225-pound pitcher was taken 128th overall.

"It's pretty neat," Clements coach Israel De Los Santos said. "He's pretty excited. I talked to him on the phone a little while ago. He and his family are going to think about things and figure it out from there."

Conlon inked with Texas A&M during the early NCAA signing period. Now he'll have to decide between playing in college and joining the Orioles' farm system. The bonus for the 128th pick is $409,000.

"It's a tough choice to make, but going in the top five rounds is pretty hard to ignore," De Los Santos said. "We'll see."

De Los Santos said the selection didn't come as a surprise, so Conlon's already had some time to consider his future.

But it's a big decision, so he'll take his time making it.

"We thought he would get drafted Tuesday," De Los Santos said. "We were thinking top 10 rounds, but we didn't know whereabouts. We heard talk from the scouts the last couple of weeks, talking about how they were going to take him in the first couple of days, but you always hear stuff like that. So I still was shocked when he popped up on the ticker.

"I was just turning on my phone. I'm in Oklahoma with the Sunbelt, and I turned on my phone to see what was going on, and who had gone, and right when I turned it on he was getting drafted."
De Los Santos said they spoke briefly.

He plans to check back with the pitcher Tuesday night or Wednesday morning after he returns from Oklahoma.

"That's a decision he's got to make, him and his family, and they'll be the ones to announce everything on what he's doing," De Los Santos said.

The Rangers struggled offensively this season, so Conlon went only 4-6. But De Los Santos said he's in great shape after dedicating himself to developing as a strikeout pitcher the last couple years.

Conlon joins Matt Albers (2001, 23rd round, Astros), Cory VanAllen (2003, third round, Dodgers) and Sean Morgan (2004, 25th round, Brewers) as players drafted out of Clements High School.
Albers signed with the Astros.

VanAllen and Morgan opted to go the college route instead, signing with Baylor and Tulane, respectively.

"He's got a desirable frame," he said. "Most pro scouts are looking at body type, and his body type is what they look for in Major League Baseball pitchers, and it doesn't hurt that he throws 95 (mph). That's a good thing. So once he started pitching better, it was pretty much a sure bet he would get drafted."

Seven Lakes' Lamar Sparks also was drafted out of high school Tuesday. The 6-2, 170-pound center fielder went to the Orioles in the fifth round with the 158th pick, slotted for $304,800.

Other Houston area players selected Tuesday include Concordia Lutheran's Glenn Otto (fifth round, Yankees, Rice), Katy Taylor's Dane Myers (sixth round, Tigers, Rice), Cypress Ranch's Bryce Johnson (sixth round, Giants, Sam Houston), Clear Brook's Corey Julks (eighth round, Astros, Houston), Memorial's Kacy Clemens (eighth round, Blue Jays, Texas) and Kempner's Dominic Taccolini (10th round, Padres, Arkansas).

Another Clements product was one of the last players drafted Tuesday.

Lefty pitcher John King was taken with the penultimate pick of the 10th round, going 314th out of Houston.

"He came back throwing hard and throwing well (this year)," De Los Santos said. "He won a bunch of big games for U of H and got himself ready for the draft."

Jason McDaniel is a freelance writer.