The Yankees added a familiar name to their 2026 MLB Draft class on Saturday, taking Luke Pettitte in the eighth round with pick No. 248.
Yes, that Luke Pettitte - the son of Andy Pettitte, one of the most clutch pitchers in baseball history during his time in pinstripes.
Luke’s path is just starting, and the Yankees are giving themselves options with him. They listed him as a two-way player, which doesn’t mean they expect him to become Shohei Ohtani. It does mean they’re willing to explore him on both sides of the game before settling on one direction.
He comes to the organization out of Dallas Baptist, a Division I program in Texas, and he throws right-handed, unlike his father.
"The son of five-time World Series champion Andy Pettitte, Luke was a prospect as right-handed pitcher with a quality mid-80s slider and a low-90s fastball," MLB.com's draft blurb writes. "He injured his elbow as a sophomore in 2025, leading to Tommy John surgery that kept him off the mound this spring. Dallas Baptist gave him at-bats as a DH and he responded by slashing .337/.403/.693 with 16 homers in 42 games."
That injury is the big question hanging over his future on the mound, so the Yankees will need to see how the arm comes back before making any firm call on his role.
What they do know is that Pettitte showed real value at the plate, too. If pitching takes longer to sort out, there’s at least evidence he can help as a hitter while the rehab plays out. And for the Yankees, there’s no denying the appeal of bringing Andy Pettitte’s son into the organization.
In Other News...
Another MLB Star Just Added To Phillies Fans' Zack Wheeler Frustration
Zack Wheelers All-Star omission has already been a sore spot for Phillies fans, and now it has picked up an unexpected layer of outside validation. Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes publicly made it clear he was disappointed Wheeler was left off the roster, pointing to the kind of season Wheeler has put together and the respect he has earned around the league.
For Philadelphia, the frustration is not just about another strong first half going unrecognized. The All-Star Game is being played in the city, which only sharpens the sting of Wheeler being left out of the showcase while his own home crowd gets ready to host it. Skenes reaction does not change the result, but it does underline how hard it is to justify the snub. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Harper Just Floated A Wild Home Run Derby Twist
Bryce Harper has never been shy about thinking big, and his latest Home Run Derby idea fits that mold. The Phillies star has floated a proposal to MLB that would let hitters switch to aluminum bats in the final round, a wrinkle he believes could turn the event into an even louder showcase of raw power and make the derby feel more electric for fans watching at home.
It is the kind of suggestion that instantly gets attention because it pushes right up against the sports boundaries, even if the league is unlikely to embrace it. MLB would have plenty to weigh before entertaining anything like that, and the only realistic version may be one far removed from a packed ballpark, which leaves Harpers idea sitting in that familiar space between playful imagination and something the game might never actually try. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Fans Got The Schwarber Harper Derby Showdown They Wanted
Phillies fans got the All-Star Game side attraction they had been hoping for when Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper both took the stage in the Home Run Derby. It was the kind of matchup that felt tailor-made for Philadelphia, with two of the clubs biggest names trading swings under the same spotlight and giving the crowd plenty to track from the first round on.
Schwarber worked through a slow start before finishing with 10 home runs, while Harper put together some loud contact of his own but came up just short of the mark he needed to keep moving. The result sent Schwarber on to the next round and ended Harpers night early, adding another layer to a derby pairing that already carried some history for Phillies fans to remember. [Read more 🡒]