​NEW YORK – Luke Pettitte’s pinstriped bloodlines suggest that his path to Yankee Stadium might be as a pitcher.Yet, the son of Yankees’ lefty legend Andy Pettitte possesses “big power’’ as a right-handed hitter.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAn eighth-round selection by the Yankees in this past weekend’s MLB Draft, Luke Pettitte was “one of the bigger power bats in this draft,’’ said Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer.Yankees scouts liked Pettitte as a right-handed pitcher at Dallas Baptist, but when he underwent Tommy John surgery last year, “we followed him as a hitter.’’In 42 games as a designated hitter for Dallas Baptist this spring, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Pettitte posted a 1.096 OPS, and a .337 batting average, with 16 home runs.At this point, the Yankees aren’t sure which direction Pettitte will take, but they’re willing to allow him to pursue a two-way avenue to begin his pro career.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEventually, Pettitte’s path “will become a player development decision,’’ said Oppenheimer. “But I think his performance will allow us to decide whether he does both or not.’’Pettitte is still rehabbing from elbow surgery as a pitcher, but he’ll continue to hit this year (the Yanks are confident about signing him).American League All-Star Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees and son Luke Pettitte during the 2010 Home Run Derby at All-Star Weekend at Angel Stadium on July 12, 2010 in Anaheim, California.If the hit-tool remains encouraging, “we’ll stay with that, and keep the pitching (element) alive,’’ said Oppenheimer, providing the organization’s wait-and-see view.“Let’s let Luke and the game tell us which way we’re going to like him most.’’Leading up to the draft, Oppenheimer said he did not have any discussions with Andy Pettitte, a current Yankees special advisor, about potentially drafting his son.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“This was pretty organic scouting (and) this kid did his stuff on his own… without the assistance of Andy pushing it or talking about it,’’ said Oppenheimer, who only spoke with Pettitte about his 21-year-old son after the draft’s conclusion.“They were probably surprised we were actually the team that took him,’’ said Oppenheimer, adding that the elder Pettitte “was excited that…we liked (Luke) enough to take him more than other teams.’’In the 20th round (No. 611 overall), the Milwaukee Brewers chose right-handed power-hitting first baseman Carsten Sabathia III, the son of Yankees’ Hall of Fame lefty CC Sabathia.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPettitte’s No. 46 is retired by the Yankees. Sabathia will have his No. 52 officially retired by the team in September.This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How the Yankees view Luke Pettitte, drafted as a hitter and pitcher