{"id":4782,"date":"2026-07-11T20:03:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T20:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4782"},"modified":"2026-07-11T20:03:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T20:03:53","slug":"with-the-20th-pick-in-the-mlb-draft-the-red-sox-select-shortstop-jake-schaffner-out-of-unc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4782","title":{"rendered":"With the 20th pick in the MLB Draft, the Red Sox select … shortstop Jake Schaffner out of UNC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHILADELPHIA \u2014 With their first-round pick, the Red Sox once again defied industry consensus, selecting shortstop Jake Schaffner out of the University of North Carolina with the 20th selection in Saturday\u2019s MLB Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more White Sox select UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with No. 1 pick in MLB draft<\/a><\/p>\n

Schaffner, who transferred from North Dakota State to UNC for his junior year, hit .356\/.467\/.552 with 6 homers, 33 extra-base hits, and 26 steals in 68 games this season, helping the Tar Heels reach the championship series of the College World Series. The lefthanded hitter showed a tremendous ability to make contact and control the strike zone, with a higher walk rate (13 percent) than strikeout rate (9). <\/span><\/p>\n

Though his lack of power resulted in later draft projections \u2014 MLB Pipeline had him as the No. 75 prospect, while Baseball America had him at No. 98 \u2014 the Sox likely focused on his elite contact skills and the idea that they could help him tap into more power given how little time he spent in an elite college program.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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