The Boston Red Sox added a promising pitching prospect to their pipeline with their first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
With the 15th overall pick, the Red Sox selected Oklahoma right-hander Kyson Witherspoon.
“Kyson is a guy we valued highly entering the draft, and we believe he is one of the top college arms in the class,” Red Sox director of amateur scouting Devin Pearson said in a statement. “We think he fits in nicely with our development strengths and has the right makeup to pitch at Fenway park. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to Red Sox Nation.”
Witherspoon, 20, was ranked seventh on Baseball America’s draft board and 10th on MLB Pipeline’s board. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder reaches 99 mph with his fastball and also boasts three above-average secondary pitches: a slider, cutter, and curveball:
Last season for the Sooners, Witherspoon posted a 10-4 record with a 2.65 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 124 strikeouts, and 23 walks in 16 starts (95 innings). He is the first pitcher selected by the Red Sox in the first round since Tanner Houck (2017).
Boston selected another college pitcher, Tennessee righty Marcus Phillips, with its No. 33 pick. The club has two more picks on Day 1 of the draft: Nos. 75 and 87.
