He’s got a big heater and is already pretty far along on the development path.
Who is he and where does he come from?
He’s Kyson Witherspoon and comes from Jacksonville, Floria. Nailing down exactly where in Jacksonville is trickier, though, as Kyson and his three siblings (including one twin, Malachi, who was also drafted last night) moved 10 different times as children while their single mother hustled to pay the bills. The slot value of the 15th overall pick is over $5 million, so hopefully mom can finally put her feet up.
What position does he play?
He’s a right-handed starting pitcher.
Will he be any good?
The answer to this question is always the same or every prospect (and it is even more pertinent with pitchers): no one knows. But he was damn good on the mound with the University of Oklahoma where, naturally, he played with his brother. (Twins are so cute!)
Witherspoon already has a big fastball that tops out at 99 (though it sits in the mid-90s) and in college he’s generally been able to hold his velocity while working deeper into games. He mixes in a big 11-5 curveball, but his cutter and slider as his primary secondary pitches, along with a hard changeup that he doesn’t seem as confident in as of yet.
With that arsenal he threw 95 innings for the Sooners this season, allowing 73 hits including 9 home runs, walking 23, and striking out 124. he was considered one of the very best pitching prospects in the entire draft (MLB Pipeline had him as the fifth-highest rated pitching prospect) and it was somewhat of a surprise that fell to the Sox at 15.
Show me a cool highlight.
Here’s his 2025 highlight reel. He certainly has an unusual delivery (not to dissimilar from Kutter Crawford), which might make it even harder for batters to pick up the ball.
What’s he doing in his picture up there?
Looking a little nervous at the thought of playing on a baseball team without his twin brother for the first time in his life. Don’t worry, Kyson, the people of Portland will take care of you!
When, if ever, will he be on the Red Sox?
Perhaps the most exciting thing about Witherspoon is that many scouts don’t think it will take him very long to get to the big leagues. Baseball America even speculated that he could make his MLB debut as early as 2026.
I wouldn’t read too much into where Kyson ends up in the Red Sox system for the rest of this year. For the remainder of 2025, I’m expecting the Sox pitching team to focus on making whatever mechanical and arsenal tweaks they have in mind for him. His real climb to the big leagues will begin in 2026.