NEW YORK -- The Yankees used one of their later selections on a player with big league pedigree, taking right-hander Bo Weiss in the 29th round with the 878th overall pick.
Weiss is the son of Rockies manager Walt Weiss, and there had been speculation that the Regis Jesuit (Colo.) High School product could be selected in the first five rounds. Weiss is committed to the University of North Carolina, where his father also played.
Informed of the selection after the Rockies' 5-3 victory over the Padres, Walt Weiss laughed and said, "That's what I hear. That's good stuff. Always good to have your name called on that day."
:: Complete 2016 Draft coverage ::
Bo Weiss pitched to a 2.91 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings this season. While it appears to be a long shot that Weiss will sign with the Yankees, team vice president of domestic amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer said that he was worth taking a chance on, given his talent level.
"The strategy is, if something were to happen and something changed up at the top part of your Draft, there's some insurance that you got a quality prospect at this point," Oppenheimer said.
"We had him up there obviously a lot higher than this, but we scouted him quite a bit and he's a legitimate guy. You just never know. Something might happen and he becomes somebody legitimate to look at."
Oppenheimer said that the Yankees took a similar approach with right-hander Zach Linginfelter from Sevier County (Tenn.) High School, whom they selected in the 16th round. Linginfelter told the Knoxville News Sentinel that he plans to attend the University of Tennessee.
"You take some guys thinking that maybe they come off of their dollars that they were talking about before the Draft; maybe something changes, or something happens up at the top in your own Draft," Oppenheimer said. "You've covered yourself with some security and some insurance."