Pink Sox draft SS Jake Schaffner with No. 20 choose
Boston Pink Sox
MLB.com tabbed Schaffner the Seventy fifth-ranked prospect within the 2026 draft.
The most recent Boston Pink Sox draft choose is in.
Boston chosen shortstop Jake Schaffner from the College of North Carolina with the No. 20 general choose within the first spherical of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday.
It was a reasonably shocking alternative, given how MLB.com ranked him their Seventy fifth prospect on this 12 months’s pool.
Schaffner, 21, stands at 6-foot-2, 200 kilos and bats left-handed.
A local of Janesville, Wisconsin, he transferred to UNC from North Dakota State for his junior 12 months this previous season. He led off for the Tar Heels, discovering himself an vital a part of his workforce’s thrilling School World Collection run (Oklahoma defeated UNC in three video games).
In 68 video games, Schaffner slashed .356/.467/.552 with six residence runs and 50 RBI. His 85 runs scored led the workforce.
“Schaffner has good really feel for the barrel and focuses on lashing line drives from hole to hole,” MLB.com wrote of Schaffner in his pre-draft scouting report. “He has a disciplined method and barely swings and misses, particularly in opposition to fastballs.
“Whereas he received’t be a slugger, he’s hitting the ball tougher than ever this spring and will produce 10-12 homers yearly with a wholesome quantity of doubles.”
That whopping .467 on-base proportion was due partly to being hit by 17 pitches and his 45 walks. In distinction, he struck out 13 fewer instances than he walked in 270 at-bats.
Schaffner additionally stole 26 luggage and recorded eight triples, a testomony to his velocity. MLB.com tabbed his run at a 60-grade mark on their 20-80 scale.
Defensively, he was wonderful at shortstop in 2026. He dedicated simply three errors (good for a .987 fielding proportion) in 68 begins.
“He’s a rangy and very dependable defender at shortstop, although his arm seemingly will dictate a transfer to second base in professional ball,” MLB.com famous of Schaffner. “He has below-average to fringy pure arm power that performs as common as a result of he has a knack for working by means of balls and utilizing his momentum to create keep it up his throws.”
Earlier than draft day, Schaffner expressed his pleasure about having the ability to carry his skills to a MLB franchise.
“I believe that the largest factor I’m going to carry is my aggressive spirit,” he instructed WMTV, his native information station in Madison, Wisconsin. “You recognize, I’m on the market. I’m trying to win in each single factor I do. And I’m going to work my butt off.
“I’m going to carry vitality each single day. And I’m going to try to elevate the individuals round me.”
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