Last season’s struggles gave the Yankees their highest draft pick in 22 years, providing Damon Oppenheimer with an opportunity — and some pressure.
“Yeah, it did feel a little bit more like that,” the Yankees director of scouting said on a conference call Thursday, three days after the team selected UCLA right-hander James Kaprielian with the 16th overall pick.
“It felt like you owe it to the Yankees and you owe it to the organization to have somebody you get with this pick that’s gonna produce and become a quality major league player. You feel like that about most of them, but when it comes to picking higher than we have since, what is it, Matt Drews or something –before I was even here — it does feel that way.