Red Sox top two '26 Draft picks pick up where they left off at UNC in debut weekend

Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull barely let their Tar Heels touch the ground before making an immediate impact in the Red Sox system.

Boston’s top two 2026 Draft picks, both North Carolina products, joined High-A Greenville this weekend for their professional debuts. And the tandem jump-started the offense en route to big wins over Asheville at McCormick Field.

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Schaffner, an infielder drafted No. 20 overall, went for 3-for-8 with four RBIs and four runs scored in his first two games. He smacked his first extra-base hit Saturday and added a bases-clearing triple on Sunday. Hull (the No. 67 overall pick) went 5-for-10 with two doubles in Sunday’s contest, four RBIs and two runs scored.

All that production by the tandem helped steer the Drive to an 11-3 win Saturday and an 11-7 win on Sunday.

Schaffner showed his penchant for hitting early on with a pair of strong campaigns at North Dakota State University that led to two all-Summit League selections. After staying active in summer ball, he kept the momentum going at North Carolina. The 21-year-old culled a .356/.468/.552 slash line and a 1.019 OPS over his lone season there. Schaffner, ranked before the Draft as MLB's No. 75 prospect, also swiped 26 bags and walked 13 more times than he struck out (45 to 32).

Hull (No. 67 Draft prospect) also transferred to UNC after figuring out his offensive game at George Mason and posting a 1.035 OPS over 61 games in 2025. The outfielder/designated hitter brought that ability to North Carolina, where he drove in an eye-popping 87 runs with a .500 on-base percentage and a 1.115 OPS. Hull turned 22 years old shortly after the Draft, and like Schaffner, leads his profile with 60-grade speed beyond his work in the batter’s box.

Both players made impacts during North Carolina’s memorable run in this season’s Men's College World Series. Hull roped a walk-off double during the Super Regional against Southern California that sent the Tar Heels to Omaha for the second time in three years. In the Finals against Oklahoma, Schaffner helped force a decisive Game 3 by roping a two-RBI triple and then scoring the go-ahead run on a wild pitch with that patented speed in the Tar Heels’ lone victory of the series.

The sample size may be small, but the Tar Heels-turned-Red Sox have made quite the first (and second) impressions.