It’s easy to claim nepotism when a team drafts the son of one of its franchise icons; just ask Bronny James.
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In the case of the Yankees’ eighth-round pick Luke Pettitte, though, Damon Oppenheimer promised it had nothing to do with his dad, five-time World Series winner Andy Pettitte.
In fact, the Yankees vice president and director of amateur scouting said the team didn’t talk to Andy at all before the selection.
“I wanted this to be about Luke and his ability, and not about Andy,” Oppenheimer said. “He’s been great, but I thought that this was better off for Luke’s career to take it and put it in his hands.”
Oppenheimer said he thinks the Pettittes were actually surprised the Yankees took Luke, saying he was good enough to go anywhere.
Luke Pettitte with the Orleans Firebirds. Boston Globe via Getty Images
They were, though, “ecstatic” that he ended up with the Yankees, now teamed up with his dad, still a special adviser to the team.
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Oppenheimer said the Yankees were impressed by both Luke’s pitching and hitting ability.
A two-way player for Dallas Baptist before undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer, Luke served solely as a DH this season.
He hit 16 home runs in 42 games and was named first-team All-Conference USA and second-team All-Central Region for his efforts.
“We liked him as a pitcher; he got hurt. We followed him as a hitter, he’s had power,” Oppenheimer said. “The guy’s got a good swing, so his name could have been [anything] and we were taking him based off the ability we saw here.”
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As for Luke’s development plan, Oppenheimer said Luke will be allowed to hit and pitch in the low minors, with his performance deciding if he continues to do both as he moves up the ranks.
Luke, along with 20 other players, makes up a draft class the Yankees are excited about.
Their first-round choice, Hunter Dietz, already signed with the team, Oppenheimer said, and will begin his development in Tampa.
Despite taking Pettitte, Dietz and six other pitchers, Oppenheimer said they were not chasing the position, but rather the best players on the board.
He also said recent success stories, like Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler, make him eager to see what this class will do.
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Schlittler, taken in the seventh round in 2022, and Rice in the 12th a year earlier, were true wins for “pure old scouting,” Oppenheimer said.
