BOSTON — With the 15th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Red Sox selected collegiate right-handed pitcher Kyson Witherspoon out of the University of Oklahoma.
Witherspoon, MLB Pipeline’s No. 10 Draft prospect, is the top-rated college right-hander. Witherspoon ranked sixth in Division I with 124 strikeouts and did so in 95 innings, fewer than all five pitchers ranked ahead of him. He pitched a seven-inning shutout against Vanderbilt on April 12 in front of a record crowd in Norman, Okla.
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Witherspoon’s fastball is his best pitch – it reaches 99 mph and sits in the mid 90s, grading as a 65 on the 20-80 scale. To complement the heat, Witherspoon possesses above-average curveball, slider and cutter offerings, along with an upper-80s changeup that’s still a work in progress.
In his second and final year at Oklahoma following a year at a Florida junior college, Witherspoon’s numbers improved across the board, most notably an ERA drop from 3.71 to 2.65 and a walks decrease from 40 to 23 in 15 more innings.
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Witherspoon was a standout shortstop at Duncan U. Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach, Fla., and that athleticism boosts his projectability and development potential, as does his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame. Witherspoon doesn’t turn 21 until Aug. 12, making him the youngest college pitcher among MLB Pipeline’s top 65 prospects.
Witherspoon has a twin brother, Malachi. They played together in high school, summer ball, junior college and at Oklahoma.