Red Sox make surprise first-round pick in 2026 MLB Draft with College World Series star

Back in 2020, the Boston Red Sox surprised pretty much everyone when they used their first-round pick to select high school bat Nick Yorke. It is safe to say that the returns on that investment were questionable, but it did set a precedent for chaos in the first round and it looks like Craig Breslow is doing more of the same after Boston selected infielder Jake Schaffner out of UNC.

Schaffner was not expected to be picked in the first round. According to MLB Pipeline, Schaffner was the 75th-ranked prospect in the draft. However, there may be a method to the Red Sox's madness once you factor in the potential draft bonus pool implications and what other teams have been doing in this draft..

Red Sox pick Jake Schaffner in first round of 2026 MLB Draft as a fun potential under-slot play

The devil is in the details here. Schaffner may not make sense based purely on talent, but he is a really good contact hitter who just played very well in the College World Series. Presumably, Boston picked Schaffner to sign him under slot and use those savings to go big later in the draft. Fans may not love that answer now, but you may want to hold off on any panic until you see the whole class.

Also, Schaffner is a fine player. In 68 games this year with the University of North Carolina, Schaffner posted a .356/.467/.522 line with six homers and 26 stolen bases. Sure, he doesn't hit for much power, but he should stick at short and he makes consistent contact with a great approach. In this year's draft, the better contact hitters are the ones that have been on the rise and if the savings were substantial, the Red Sox may have been playing 4D chess here.

Of course, that only matters if they use those bonus pool savings to make a strong overslot play (or several). Time will tell if that is what ends up transpiring.

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