Boston’s 2026 draft class came with a little bit of everything: contact, speed, defensive upside, and enough raw power to keep the player-development staff busy. Baseball America’s report card for the Red Sox hands out superlatives across the board, and the biggest theme is clear enough - this was a class built around hitters who can really swing it.
North Carolina shortstop Jake Schaffner, the club’s first-round pick, earns the nod as the organization’s best pure hitter. Schaffner showed off the same contact ability at North Dakota State, in the ACC and again after turning pro, and his first taste of pro ball only reinforced the profile.
In 23 games with High-A Greenville, he hit .315 and posted a standout 90.1% in-zone contact rate. He also gets the “Most Intriguing Background” label, thanks to a past that included high-level ice hockey and quarterbacking, with the Wisconsin native standing out as one of the surprise first-rounders in the class.
If Schaffner brings the hit tool, Georgia prep outfielder Martin Shelar brings the thunder. The ninth-rounder was an over-slot signing for good reason, as Boston bet big on his huge power potential. Shelar was one of the most impressive high school home run hitters in 2026, launching 19 homers, and the report points to his bat speed, strength and steep swing path as the ingredients that let him drive the ball in the air with authority.
The Red Sox also loaded up on speed up the middle. Schaffner, North Carolina outfielder Owen Hull and Wisconsin prep shortstop Jace Mataczynski all came with 60-grade speed, and Mataczynski gets singled out as the best defensive player in the class.
He looks like a possible plus shortstop defender with twitch, quickness, reliable hands and pro-caliber middle infield actions. Add in a plus throwing arm, and he has the kind of defensive profile that can make an impact in a lot of ways.
He also takes the “Best Athlete” honor, with three 60-grade tools on his card and a still-projectable 6-foot-3 frame that could lead to more power down the line.
Hull, meanwhile, wasted no time showing why Boston liked him. The club sent him straight to High-A Greenville, and he answered with a strong .337/.436/.531 line, three homers and 10 doubles.
The exit velocities and barrel rate jumped off the page, even if his 1-for-6 showing on stolen-base attempts was a little surprising. Between Hull and Schaffner, Boston also gets the “Closest To The Majors” recognition, with both college resumes and early pro success suggesting a fast track.
On the pitching side, Baylor right-hander Lucas Davenport owns the best fastball in the class. His heater has reached 98 mph, and the pitch plays with about seven feet of extension and a flat approach angle. For secondaries, Vanderbilt right-hander Alex Kranzler’s low-80s slider drew a 48% miss rate this spring, while Florida Atlantic left-hander Kide Adetuyi brings a high-spin sweeper in the upper 70s and low 80s with heavy gloveside action that grades well metrically.
Boston’s best Day 3 value, according to the report card, comes from Georgia State shortstop Wills Maginnis in the 11th round. He wasn’t a consensus favorite, but the underlying offensive numbers were loud enough to turn heads. Maginnis hit .306/.404/.486 with eight home runs, while also showing strong contact skills, sharp swing decisions and an above-average 90th percentile exit velocity.
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