Red Sox Go Off-Board on Speed: Why Schaffner at #20 Is a Calculated Gamble

Craig Breslow just did something interesting at pick #20: he ignored the consensus. Jake Schaffner, a speedy infielder from UNC, was ranked 98th overall by Baseball America. The Red Sox took him 78 spots higher. That’s not a typo. That’s a philosophy.

There’s a real argument here. The Red Sox roster is built around controlled chaos and versatility—look at how many moving pieces they’ve deployed across the infield with guys like Andruw Monasterio and Tsung-Che Cheng. Speed and athleticism matter in that framework. A player who can leg out infield hits, steal bases, and move around defensively has inherent value in an organization trying to squeeze every win from a competitive roster. If Schaffner’s bat develops even to league average, his legs become a weapon.

But let’s be honest: this is a reach, and Breslow is banking on player development to justify it. The draft is where front offices reveal their beliefs, and this pick says the Red Sox think Schaffner’s ceiling matters more than his current ranking. Maybe his tools—speed, athleticism—tested better in private workouts than on the college field. Maybe there’s projection here that the evaluation industry missed. Or maybe it’s a miss dressed up in analytics language.

The risk is real. Drafting for upside at #20 requires confidence that you can develop a prospect other teams valued significantly lower. With the pitching staff already built around Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray in the rotation, the focus on position player depth makes sense. But you’re essentially betting on a coaching staff to unlock something that hasn’t shown up yet in a college setting.

This is a smart swing or a head-scratcher, depending on how Schaffner develops over the next three to five years. For now, it’s the move of a front office willing to trust its own eyes over consensus. In Boston, that should feel familiar.

Based on reporting from Over The Monster.