NEW YORK — In a departure from their recent MLB Drafts, the Boston Red Sox selected position players with their first three picks Saturday.In fact, they didn’t just zero in on any hitters, but specifically left-handed batters from the University of North Carolina.In an unexpected draft-day move, the Red Sox selected shortstop Jake Schaffner with the No. 20 pick in the first round and then outfielder Owen Hull with the 67th pick, in the competitive balance round B. Both are left-handed, contact-first hitters out of UNC.“I think even more unique is that they were roommates, too,” said Red Sox scouting director Jake Bruml, in his first year leading the draft for Boston. “Both of them were transfers this year to UNC. We got to meet with both of those guys at the combine. They told me they’re best friends, so hopefully they can bring some of the magic that they had in that (College) World Series run to Boston in the coming years.”Who shifted in Keith Law's last 2026 mock draft?Keith LawWith their last pick of the first day, the Red Sox took Wisconsin high school shortstop Jace Mataczynski, a right-handed hitter, in the third round at No. 96.Where the Red Sox took Schaffner shocked draft experts, as he had been rated the No. 79 draft prospect by The Athletic’s Keith Law.Bruml acknowledged the unorthodox selection but highlighted Schaffner’s elite bat-to-ball skills, noting he’s an above-average runner and will stick in the middle of the field.“We prepared for 20 scenarios. I won’t say where this scenario was on that list,” Bruml said. “We knew what we were getting into. We were very comfortable with it and, for the record, told (Red Sox) senior leadership, ‘Hey, we are going this route. This is going to be viewed as very off the wall.’“We were very convicted in our evaluation of Jake and what it can provide us through the rest of the draft, so we were in a spot that, yeah, it’s exciting because we got a player that we love and are excited to join the organization, but have to block out the noise a little bit and make sure we do what’s best for the org.”