On August 26, 1991 — The Yankees reluctantly agree to a record $1.55 million contract with 19 year-old high school southpaw Brien Taylor, the overall number one pick from the June amateur draft. George Steinbrenner is outraged by the deal, but the suspended owner actually had driven up the price when he publicly makes his wishes known to Newsday two days prior to the signing by saying, “If they (Gene Michael) let him go, they ought to be shot”.
It is the largest deal ever given to an amateur player, surpassing the $1.2 million paid to Todd Van Poppel by Oakland in 1990.
