Teenage prospects are sometimes referred to as lottery tickets. There is nothing overtly offensive about that euphemism, and it speaks to the hopefulness that accompanies the exchange of real money for a chance at a jackpot against incredible odds. Possessing a lottery ticket may mean you hold something worth millions of dollars. It more likely means you are only holding a piece of paper.
The Yankees’ amateur scouting department would claim that they don’t avoid high school players as a rule, but the fact is they don’t select many of them in the draft. In fact, they took exactly zero prep players last year and signed only two the year before (pitchers Brock Selvidge and Sean Hermann).