Red Sox's Surprising Jake Schaffner 1st-Round Pick, Explained

Schaffner, the 21-year-old from Janesville, Wisc., started his college career at North Dakota State before transferring to UNC as a junior. There, he flew up draft boards by slashing .356/.467/.552 as a senior, with six home runs, 26 stolen bases, and the second-most runs scored in Division I with 85.

We argued passionately at Red Sox on SI for Boston to select Mississippi State slugger Ace Reese with this pick, and when it was time for the selection to be made, Reese was still on the board. So while we might not profess our love for this move instantly, the logic behind it is certainly understandable.

Schaffner has one tool that stands out above all his others: contact. In 339 plate appearances against high-level pitching in the Atlantic Coast Conference, he struck out only 32 times this season. At the same time, his average exit velocity rose more than any other Division I player's from 2025 to 2026.

If there's a knock on Schaffner as a first-round pick, it's that he might never develop into enough of a power hitter to reach star status in the major leagues. Add in that his arm strength is just fringy enough for questions to arise about his future at shortstop versus second base, and you see why he was rated where he was.

But there's likely another shoe to drop, because the Red Sox almost certainly worked out a deal to sign Schaffner for less than his pick's slot value of $4.37 million. So stay tuned later in the day for whatever they wind up doing with their other selections.