Boston Red Sox 2026 Draft in Review: Rounds 1-10

The Boston Red Sox had several different options they could choose from with the 20th overall pick in the draft. One name that nobody saw coming was UNC shortstop Jake Schaffner. Watching a ton of college baseball my first reaction was “this kid is a complete gamer.” He improved drastically upon transferring to North Carolina from North Dakota State. Schaffner has elite speed stealing 26 bases and only being caught 3 times. After hitting .367 with 2 HR in the Summit League in 2025 he produced in the ACC hitting .356 with 6 HR, 19 doubles, and 8 triples. He walked 45 times and only struck out 32 times. The Red Sox clearly see Schaffner as part of their future and I see him being a second baseman when he reaches the majors. Schaffner is a top of the order type bat. He will continue to gain power in the minor leagues as he works his way towards Boston. With this pick the Red Sox had a clear plan to go under slot in the first round to save money for future picks.

With the 67th overall pick the Red Sox took outfielder Owen Hull from UNC who was teammates with Schaffner and his roommate. As a sophomore at George Mason in 2025 Hull hit .367 with 8 HR and stole 42 bases and was only caught 6 times. This past season for the Tar Heels Hull hit .393 with 9 HR, 27 doubles, and 2 triples. Hull only stole 18 bags and was caught 5 times. Like Schaffner, Hull has a tremendous eye at the plate and walked 48 times and had a .500 OBP. Anytime UNC needed a clutch hit Hull always delivered. The biggest moment of the season during Game 3 of the Super Regionals Hull hit a walk off double to send the Heels back to Omaha. Hull will stay in the OF and if he can work on elevating the ball in the air versus on the ground, he has legit 20 HR potential and could be a mainstay in the majors for well over a decade.

With the 96th overall pick the Red Sox took High School Prep SS Jace Mataczynski from Hudson, Wisconsin. The Auburn commit is a fantastic athlete with plus speed, a plus arm, and plus fielding. Mataczynski has a ton of power but also comes with a lot of swing and miss and needs to change his swing to be more consistent. The Sox gambled with this pick and hope that Matazynski with development can become something special in the future.

With the 156th overall pick the Red Sox took Lucas Davenport, an RHP from Baylor. Davenport was Baylor’s Friday night guy in 2026. Davenport for now has a three-pitch mix with his fastball sitting 93-95 (topped out at 98), and a mid-upper 80’s cutter, and a slider. In 63 innings Davenport had 69 strikeouts and only 16 walks. His ERA was high 2 runs higher in 2026 versus 2025. Clearly the Sox front office see something they can fix in Davenport.

With the 185th overall pick the Red Sox took LHP Brett Lanman from Abilene Christian University. Lanman has a five-pitch mix consisting of a fastball that can reach up to 95 mph, a sweeper, curveball, cutter, and a changeup. Lanman struck out 76 batters in 70 innings pitched but had control issues with 31 walks that had his ERA a little higher than he would have liked at 5.35 in the WAC conference. Again, as Craig Breslow has done enough that I trust any pitcher he takes with a draft pick.

With the 214th overall pick the Red Sox took LHP Kide Adetuyi from Florida Atlantic. Adetuyi seems like a potential left-handed specialist down the road out of the bullpen. He sits around 90-92 with his fastball and has a low 80’s sweeper and slider. In 73 innings pitched Adetuyi had 85 strike outs but issued 32 walks. His ERA improved drastically from the previous season finishing at 4.19.

With the 244th overall pick the Red Sox took LHP Josh Volmerding from Cal Poly. Just like the previous pick I see Volmerding being a left-handed specialist in his future. His fastball sits in the low 90’s and has an above average slider. So far, he has just a two-pitch mix. In 2026 Volmerding only pitched 27 innings and had 31 strikeouts to go with 10 walks. His ERA was 6.51.

With the 274th overall pick the Red Sox selected High School Prep outfielder Martin Shelar from Marist, Georgia. The Mississippi State commit has plus speed, arm, and power. Shelar signed for a record $1.2 million in the ninth round as the Sox saved some of their money from the first round on Shelar. A lot like Mataczynski the Sox will need to work with Shelar on cutting down his swing and miss and changing his mechanics. Shelar has the potential to be a 20/20 guy in the if he reaches his full potential.

With the 304th overall pick the Red Sox selected High School Prep RHP Kaleb LaFavor from Sioux City, Iowa. The 6’7 righty has a fastball that currently sits in the low to mid 90’s, a slider, cutter, and changeup. With his lean frame the Red Sox are confident when he fills out into his body that LaFavor will be sitting in the upper 90’s with his fastball. The Iowa commit was another over slot pick for the Red Sox.