Penn State DH Michael Anderson, two signees picked in 2026 MLB Draft
Penn State baseball had an All-American selected in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Michael Anderson was chosen in the fifth round of the draft with the 149th overall pick by the Texas Rangers, joining former Nittany Lion Paxton Kling — who was drafted in the seventh round last year by the Rangers.
Anderson was named an All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association this season as a designated hitter, where he started 50 games for the Nittany Lions. However, he was drafted as a two-way player by the Rangers, indicating he’ll also see time as a pitcher. He made two appearances on the mound for Penn State this season, and appeared in eight games as a pitcher with Rhode Island as a freshman. He spent his first two years of college with the Rams before transferring to Arkansas for a year before landing in Happy Valley for his senior season.
He’s the highest drafted player since head coach Mike Gambino took over the program, and the highest overall since Matt Wood was selected in the fourth round in 2022.
Anderson was joined in the draft by two Penn State baseball signees — two-way player Alex Weingartner and catcher Dalton Harper.
Weingartner was drafted as an outfielder by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round with the 166th overall pick was chosen by the Atlanta Braves in the 16th round with the 472nd overall pick.
Both players are expected to sign with their major league organizations rather than attending Penn State, according to a source, with Weingartner expected to land a seven-figure signing bonus that will go over the amount slotted for the pick he was chosen at.
Weingartner is the younger brother of former Nittany Lion Ryan Weingartner, who was selected in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
While Anderson was the only Nittany Lion drafted from this year’s team, there could be a potential first round pick on the 2027 roster. Pitcher Genei Sato, who is joining the program from Japan, could go that high in the 2027 MLB Draft. He would be the second first round pick in program history, joining pitcher Nate Bump, who was taken 25th overall in the first round by the San Francisco Giants in 1998.
