Jake

Schaffner

Schaffner was the 20th overall pick in this month’s draft, and slot value for the 20th pick was $4.37 million. Part of the reason the Red Sox drafted Schaffner, in addition to the fact that he has elite contact skills and good speed, is that he would sign for under slot, which allowed them to provide big bonuses to high school draft picks to lure them away from their college commitments.

This is a major surprise, as Schaffner was viewed by most analysts as a player that would go late in the second round or the top of the third. Clearly the Red Sox like his contact skills, and he’s athletic enough to stick at shortstop. It’s just hard to see any power in Schaffner’s current swing, and we’re not talking about a plus-plus hit tool to go with it. Boston clearly likes the player a lot more and doesn’t care about draft rankings, but on paper, this is a head-scratcher.