Sox amateur scouting director Jake Bruml, overseeing a draft for the first time after playing a key support role in the last six years, felt compelled to inform his bosses of his plans. The Sox viewed Schaffner as far more talented than his public projections, and by selecting him in the first round, could likely sign him for less than his $4.37 million slot-recommended bonus, thus freeing more money to pursue additional high-end talent as the draft progressed.
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“[I] told the smaller room, senior leadership, ‘Hey, we are going this route. This is going to be viewed as very off the wall,’” said Bruml. “[But] we were very convicted in our evaluation of Jake and what it can provide us through the rest of the draft.”
Minutes later, Schaffner saw his name pop up on MLB’s draft tracker. He was a Red Sox first rounder. He ran to join his family and friends.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” beamed Schaffner. “I’m just so fortunate to get drafted by such a great organization.”
Schaffner’s selection represented the culmination of a transformative year. Schaffner played two years at North Dakota State before transferring to UNC for his junior year. He hit .356/.467/.552 with 6 homers, 33 extra-base hits, and 26 steals in 68 games for Carolina, helping the Tar Heels reach the championship series of the College World Series, where they fell to Oklahoma.
The 21-year-old excelled in the areas that are most difficult to train, showing elite contact skills and outstanding strike zone awareness, contributing to a walk rate (13 percent) that surpassed his strikeout rate (9).
“I’ve always taken big pride in really getting my pitch and swinging at it. And if that means that I take four balls and get on base, then that’s great. I love being a tone-setter. I love being a table-setter. I love being able to get on base,” said Schaffner. “It’s always been part of my game.”
His limited college power and questions about whether he has the arm strength to stick at short hovered over his projected draft position. However, the Sox believe they can help players who make contact and good swing decisions tap into more power through bat speed training. And arm strength is likewise something that can be trained in pro ball.
So, the Sox opted to select a player who wasn’t on the radar for the first round.
“His offensive skill set aligns very well with our player development group,” said amateur scouting director Jake Bruml in a Red Sox statement. “We’re confident he’ll be able to thrive in our system while playing strong defense at shortstop.”
The decision to take Schaffner echoed past Sox decisions to take Nick Yorke (2020) and Mikey Romero (2022) in the first round, sign under-slot deals, and use the savings for subsequent picks – most notably, Roman Anthony in the second round in 2022.
For Schaffner, the selection represented a pinch-me moment. Last summer, when playing in the Cape League, he visited Fenway and was in the Monster Seats when a Sox player homered. Now, he’s in an organization that could allow him to deliver a souvenir to the same seats.
“That’s always been a thought in my mind, playing at [what] I think [is] the coolest park in MLB,” said Schaffner. “Now, having a chance and getting drafted by this organization, it’s just so cool.”
Adding to the excitement: Schaffner will be joined in the Sox organization by his roommate at UNC. With their second pick (No. 67 overall), the Sox drafted UNC centerfielder Owen Hull.
“They told me they’re best friends, so hopefully they can bring some of the magic that they had in that [College] World Series run to Boston in the coming years,” said Bruml.
A transfer from George Mason, Hull this year hit .393/.500./615 with nine homers and 18 steals in 2026 with both a walk and strikeout rate of 15 percent. The 6-foot-4-inch lefthanded hitter has the speed and range to stay in center as well as strong bat-to-ball skills and makes hard contact – albeit with a high groundball rate. The Sox are hopeful they can help him hit fewer groundballs to emerge as an everyday player with a balanced skill set.
The Sox wrapped up their Day 1 selections by taking high school shortstop Jace Mataczynski out of Wisconsin in the third round (No. 96). The 6-4 righthanded hitter was one of the best high school defenders in the draft..
“He’s a fantastic defender. I know I haven’t been doing this too long, but he is one of the best high school shortstop defenders that I personally have seen,” said Bruml, noting how Sox scouts compared his glove to Marcelo Mayer’s in high school.
Mataczynski has size, strength, and room to fill out, but a somewhat jumpy swing. Though raw, if he proves capable of holding his own offensively in pro ball, his strong glove, arm, and speed could make the Auburn commit (expected to sign for an above-slot bonus) a middle-of-the-field player with significant upside.
Alex Speier can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @alexspeier.
