McAnelly brings plenty of starting experience to the Twins organization after serving as Utah's Friday night starter during his final two collegiate seasons. In 2025, he earned All-Big 12 First Team honors after making 14 starts and posting a 3.79 ERA across 92 2/3 innings. He struck out 92 batters, averaged 8.9 K/9, and ranked among the conference leaders in innings pitched and opponent batting average.

McAnelly followed that performance with another solid season in 2026, recording 70 strikeouts over 67 1/3 innings. He finished his Utah career ranked fourth all-time in program history with 207 strikeouts. The right-hander has experience handling a starter's workload and has consistently shown the ability to generate swings and misses. His next challenge will be translating that success against professional hitters.