At this point in the offseason, much of the work on 2027 rosters is done for many teams across all sports. That’s especially true for Penn State baseball, who is mostly dotting i’s and crossing t’s as it prepares for fall ball and the eventual 2027 season in March.

But, in a rare twist, the Nittany Lions are experiencing the plight of many high-level programs this time of year, trying to convince players to forgo big league dreams to stay and develop at the college level.

Five years after their most recent escapade with Lonnie White Jr. in 2021, Penn State had two incoming signees selected in the 2026 MLB Draft: high school two-way player Alex Weingartner to the Chicago White Sox and junior college transfer catcher Dalton Harper to the Atlanta Braves.

While they hoped that one or both would still make it to campus, both players have wound up signing with their respective organizations, leaving a highly-regarded recruiting class just a bit weaker entering a pivotal 2027 season.

6th-rder Alex Weingartner signs w/@WhiteSox for $1.4 million (slot 166 = $413,900). New Jersey HS OF, one of best prep athletes in @MLBDraft, big raw power from the right side, 6.24 seconds in the 60, 94-96 mph on the mound. @PennStateBASE recruit. pic.twitter.com/97glIMtvZi

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 16, 2026

The Atlanta #Braves today announced the club has signed each of its 21 picks from the 2026 First-Year Player Draft: pic.twitter.com/a0on94wgrP

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 20, 2026

Weingartner, the younger brother of former Penn State infielder and St. Louis Cardinals draft pick Ryan, was selected in the sixth round out of St. Augustine Prep in Berlin, New Jersey.

His recruitment was a major coup for the Nittany Lions, as he was rated as the No. 75 recruit in the country and No. 1 in New Jersey in the Class of 2027, according to Perfect Game. He was Penn State’s highest-rated recruit since White, but Weingartner has now followed in the footsteps of the current Pittsburgh Pirate and is going pro.

Weingartner signed a $1.4 million signing bonus, a hefty sum that’s about $986,000 more than what the slot value was for the No. 166 pick. Chicago used the savings it had from an underslot deal with No. 1 overall pick Roch Cholowsky to sign him and two other high schoolers in the first six rounds.

It was always expected that Weingartner might receive a big league opportunity too enticing to turn down, but the signing of Harper was much more shocking given the circumstances.

Selected in the 16th round by the Braves, the Division III transfer from SUNY-Niagara seemed like someone who would sign after the Braves carefully allocated all of their available money to high school and college talent with more leverage across their draft board.

Estimates from Braves reporters suggested they would not be able to go above $150,000, the standard signing bonus for players picked after the 10th round, to get Harper to sign, especially with a commitment to a Big Ten university with two years of eligibility remaining.

Although there is no full confirmation on a signing bonus, it appears as if that figure was enough for Harper to put pen to paper and forgo an opportunity to increase his draft stock in Happy Valley. This news, coupled with graduations and outgoing transfers, likely solidifies Avery Smith as the 2027 starting catcher.

Despite losing these two, Penn State remains positioned for one of its most stacked incoming recruiting and transfer classes in recent memory, headlined by Japanese star Genei Sato and four top-500 high school recruits, headlined by Hunter Brown, the No. 1 right-handed pitcher in New Jersey.