While the Yankees have yet to sign 8th-round draft pick (248th) overall Luke Pettitte, the son of former Yankees World Series Champion Andy Pettitte, they already are confident the younger Pettitte will soon be in the organization.
Yankees beat writer Gary Phillips for the New York Daily News Sports reported that the Yankees VP and Director of Amateur Scouting, Damon Oppenheimer, is “confident” the Yankees will be able to sign him.
Luke Pettitte is both a pitcher and a hitter, but was on the shelf this past season while recovering from Tommy John Surgery, but Phillips reports that Oppenheimer said the Yankees will let him do both for now as a two-way player.
Pettitte Hit Very Well This Past Season At Dallas Baptist
He served as the primary DH for Dallas Baptist University, in which he hit for a .337 batting average with 16 home runs and a 1.096 OPS in 42 games. While pitching in parts of three seasons with Dallas Baptist before the Tommy John, Pettitte recorded a 5-2 record with a 3.19 ERA. While pitching runs in the family, the Yankees aren’t having him commit to one over the other right now.
Oppenheimer told the Daily Record of New Jersey that, “Let’s let Luke and the game tell us which way we’re going to like him most”, and further added, “We’ll stay with that (hit tool) and keep the pitching element alive”, Oppenheimer stated, and reported by Pete Caldera of North New Jersey.com. The Yankees’ commitment to having Luke explore professional baseball as both a hitter and a pitcher should excite Yankees and baseball fans alike as the next wave of talent enters minor league baseball.
Oppenheimer even reiterated that the Yankees did “their own homework” on the younger Pettitte without his father Andy’s knowledge, and that the Pettitte family wasn’t even really expecting to hear his name called by the Yankees on draft day. Oppenheimer stated, “They were probably surprised we were actually the team that took him”, Oppenheimer said. What’s also interesting to note is that another former Yankee’s son was selected in this year’s player Draft.
Another former Yankee’s Son Selected In 2026 MLB Draft
Carsten Sabathia, the son of former Yankees left-hander and Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, was drafted in the 20th round (611th) overall by the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite also being a well-known Yankee, CC Sabathia did pitch briefly for the Milwaukee Brewers after being traded there from Cleveland at the 2008 MLB trade deadline. Sabathia would then go on to sign a free-agent contract with the Yankees that offseason and would win the World Series with them in his first year with the team during the 2009 season against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The sky is really the limit for Luke as he chases the same aspirations his father once did. Whether it comes as a hitter, pitcher, or both, remains to be seen, but for the kid who grew up around the game with his father, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow and succeed in the Yankees organization. His father, Andy, was drafted in the 22nd round, so for the time being, Luke at least has bragging rights in that department.
Yankees’ Allowing Luke Pettitte To Be Two-Way Player For Now