NEW YORK -- The Red Sox went outside the box with their first-round pick (20th overall) in the MLB Draft on Saturday, selecting UNC shortstop Jake Schaffner.
The left-handed hitter was ranked No. 75 on MLB Pipeline’s prospect rankings.
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The 21-year-old transferred to the Tar Heels this past season after playing two seasons at North Dakota State.
“We’re really excited to welcome Jake to the Red Sox organization,” said Red Sox director of amateur scouting Jake Bruml. “His offensive skillset aligns very well with our player development group. We’re confident he’ll be able to thrive in our system while playing strong defense at shortstop.”
Schaffner is known as a disciplined contact hitter who can hit the ball from gap to gap, a style which would play well at Fenway Park, one of the best doubles parks in the game. Triples were Schaffner’s specialty in ‘26, as he led Division 1 with 13 of them.
Schaffner has plus range and reliability on defense, but some scouts think his arm will play more at second base in professional ball.
The Janesville, Wis. native, listed at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, slashed .356/.467/.552 in his one season at Carolina, adding 19 doubles, six homers, 50 RBIs and 26 stolen bases in 29 attempts over 68 games.