[2017 4th round pick (128): Jack Conlon - RHP - Clements HS (TX)]

I think it's pretty clear that Conlon failed the physical with the Giants and they backed out of the deal.  It was widely reported that they had an agreement, pending Conlon taking a physical.  Then there was no confirmation that the deal was ever completed.  Then Kendall Rogers just yesterday said Conlon is going to throw a bullpen for all teams to watch him and a resolution should come soon.  Rogers is very connected to the situation because he's a Texas A & M alum, but he wouldn't confirm or deny that Conlon failed the physical with the Giants.  However, I don't know what else could have happened that killed Conlon's deal with the Giants, other than a failed physical, especially in light of the Orioles choosing not to sign him based on the results of his physical.

Conlon clearly wants to take advantage of being a free agent, rather than to go college, which is why he is continuing to try and find a deal for money as good or better than he would have received from the Orioles & Giants.  However, he's going to have to prove he's healthy before that can happen.  It should be interesting to see how this situation turns out, and how much money he ultimately signs for.

[2017 4th round pick (128): Jack Conlon - RHP - Clements HS (TX)]

I find it interesting that Jack Conlon's Twitter account shows no indication that he has signed with the Giants.  Word came out at the beginning of the week that he had agreed to terms with the Giants pending a physical, and you'd think that would have occurred by now and the deal would be official.  I wonder if the Giants doctors have the same concerns about Conlon's arm that the O's doctors did, and the deal is being held up?  Otherwise, you'd think the deal would have been made official by now.

Conlon seems like a fairly regular tweeter, and for weeks after we drafted him, it said that he was a member of the Orioles organization.  Then it was taken off suddenly, which was the first indication that we weren't signing him.  Then when it became official he wasn't signing, he started tweeting about being excited to go to Texas A & M.  Then when it was announced he was a free agent and could sign with any team, he removed his Texas A & M status, and ever since then, it just days "HTX," for Houston, TX, where he lives.  I figured that by now, his status would have acknowledged he's a member of the Giants, but it doesn't.

I know I shouldn't even care about this anymore because we didn't sign him and signed Bishop instead, but I can't help but be intrigued by his situation because it's very unusual, not to mention the O's doctors were clearly were concerned about what they saw on his physical.  And based on the delay in making his signing official, you have to wonder if the Giants have the same concern and may not sign him, or at least will try to reduce the signing amount.

[2017 4th round pick (128): Jack Conlon - RHP - Clements HS (TX)]

As mentioned in a previous post, I was told by a fairly reliable source that the O's had a deal with Cameron Bishop for somewhere in the $500-600k range and flew him to Baltimore from to Cape Cod league to sign the contract and take a physical.  I was expecting it to be announced by the deadline yesterday, and was surprised that it wasn't.  I have no clue what happened, but that is where the pool savings was going.  One can only assume that Angelos pulled his physical shenanigans once again and the deal was killed or didn't get submitted by the 5 pm deadline.  I was very disappointed about this.  Even though Bishop's upside is not as high as Conlon, I thought he was a solid consolation prize in lieu of Conlon.  He was pretty highly thought of prior to the season but got hurt before the first game and missed the entire season.  However, he was pitching in the Cape and dominated in his most recent outing, which Duquette was present for.  He's a big LHP with a mid 90's fastball and solid secondaries.  Would have been a nice addition to the system.  But oh well!

[2017 4th round pick (128): Jack Conlon - RHP - Clements HS (TX)]

I had heard that Cameron Bishop, our 26th round pick from UC Irvine, flew to Baltimore from the Cape Cod League yesterday to sign an above slot contract.  Duquette went to see him pitch earlier this week and he dominated.  I was expecting him to sign using the savings from the top 10 rounds, essentially as a replacement for Conlon.  All day I was waiting for an announcement that never came.  Even Keith Law, in his chat this afternoon, said he heard we were signing Bishop too.  It wouldn't shock me if he failed the physical too, the way things have been going.  Otherwise, why would he fly to Baltimore to sign a contract?  I'm just so sick of having to sweat out every player we come to an agreement with, whether it's a major league player or a draft pick, as we know our physical is seemingly harder to pass than any other teams.

To be fair, Angelos' stringent physical has ended up saving us from bad deals in the past, but still, it just seems like we play by a different set of standards than every other team, and we always come out looking like idiots.  Most notably when it comes to not spending money internationally.

Unfortunately, it's starting to feel like 1998-2011 all over again, and that is a time I don't think any of us want to relive again after 5 years of mostly winning baseball.

[2017 4th round pick (128): Jack Conlon - RHP - Clements HS (TX)]

From what I was told, the Orioles are signing LHP Cameron Bishop of UC Irvine instead with the savings left over from the top 10 rounds.  Depending on how much we give him, we could have money left to sign another late round upside player as well, although likely not Logan Allen or Greg Jones.  Maybe Jason Willow?