Boston Red Sox first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon ready to chart his own path in pro ball

New York Times

13 hours ago

The Boston Red Sox's newest first-round pick, Oklahoma right-hander Kyson Witherspoon, was so far off the draft radar coming out of high school that he attended the 2022 MLB Draft Combine as a spectator in support of his twin brother, Malachi, rather than as a participant.
Malachi would go in the 12th round in the 2022 draft, but Kyson went undrafted. Malachi turned down an offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks and joined Kyson at Northwest Florida State College for the 2023 season. Three years and a transfer to the Oklahoma program later, both brothers are draft prospects and Kyson has emerged as one of the top players in this year's class. And this time around, he was asked to perform in last month's Draft Combine. The Athletic's Keith Law ranked Witherspoon as the ninth-best prospect and the top right-handed pitcher.
Advertisement
The road to being a first-round pick began for Kyson in junior college, where he added strength and his velocity ticked up. Both he and his brother caught the attention of the Oklahoma program, and they spent the past two years as key members of the Sooners' pitching staff.
Kyson Witherspoon had a solid sophomore season for OU, posting a 3.71 ERA and a 90:40 K:BB in 80 innings, but he took a big step forward as a junior. In 95 innings, he had a 2.65 ERA and a 124:23 K:BB. In early April, Witherspoon matched up against LSU ace Kade Anderson in a prime regular season showdown that drew scouts in from all over the country. He went toe-to-toe with the No. 3 pick in this year's draft, allowing two runs in six innings to the eventual NCAA champions. It was a high-pressure environment, but he didn't let it bother him.
'I try not to really put that on myself, and just try to have faith in the work I put in,' Witherspoon said of pitching in front of scouts.
Witherspoon never walked more than three batters in any start this season and was generally efficient with his pitch count. In two years with the Sooners, Witherspoon continued to gain velocity — he topped out at 99 mph this season — while also smoothing out his mechanics and significantly improving his command and his changeup, a pitch Law gave a 55 grade.
He cut his walk rate significantly from last season, a big reason behind his improved overall numbers. This season, he threw at least five innings in all but two of his 15 starts and threw at least seven innings in five starts. He credits the improvement to his work with Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson on his mindset and changes he made to his mechanics.
A shortstop in high school, Witherspoon admits it took him a while to commit to the idea of being a full-time pitcher. He was a two-way player in junior college but he was having trouble keeping on weight trying to handle both roles and knew he needed to choose one or the other. He had touched 95 mph in a scrimmage so he wasn't surprised when his coaches pointed him toward the mound when he asked whether they thought pitching or playing shortstop was best for his future. Still, it was a bit of a mental hurdle to let go of his dream of playing shortstop.
Advertisement
'One door closed and one door opened,' he said at the Combine site, Chase Field, in June.
There are echoes of his days as a shortstop in his pitching mechanics, with his shorter arm stroke somewhat reminiscent of a shortstop's throwing motion. He's made tweaks to his motion over the past year, working to be more fluid.
'Last year, I was a bit more wild with my lower half. I'd fall off really hard to my glove side,' he said. 'So really trying to stay stacked, just kick over, be in an athletic position so I can catch a play. It really just translates to me being in more control. And then definitely trying to keep both my eyes on the glove. Just go to the glove, execute a pitch, and simplifying it as much as I can.'
His vision was something else that changed this season. Witherspoon used to wear goggles when he pitched, but when he switched from weekly to daily contact lenses this season, he didn't need the on-field specs anymore. His teammates wanted him to revive the goggles for a start, but with a four-seam and two-seam fastball, two breaking balls and an above-average changeup, Witherspoon doesn't need any accessories to be intimidating to hitters.
He can throw all five of his pitches in any count but he says if he's looking for a swing and miss, the curveball is his best put-away pitch against both righties and lefties. He likes using the cutter because he knows hitters have to be ready for his upper-90s fastball and the cutter comes out of his hand looking like the fastball but with different movement and velocity.
Witherspoon didn't grow up with a favorite team but he points to fellow Florida native Jacob deGrom as his favorite pitcher to watch. He also named hard-throwing relievers Mason Miller and Aroldis Chapman as pitchers he watches closely. Although he's a starter, he likes the aggressive mindset used by elite relievers.
Advertisement
'I'm just trying to compete in the zone, keep the pitch count low so I can go as far as I can into games,' he said. 'And that mindset also helps me just carry my velo as far as I can.'
Though Witherspoon has emerged as the higher-rated prospect, his twin brother is expected to hear his name called in the top 10 rounds. Malachi's command isn't as sharp as his brother's, but he also has a plus fastball that has touched triple digits and an above-average slider, a combination that profiles well as a reliever at the next level. Whether the brothers continue to develop as teammates or in separate organizations remains to be seen.
Kyson says having his brother as a teammate throughout his life has made him a better pitcher.
'Now that we're both here, it's just a testament to how hard we worked,' he said.
Kyson Witherspoon credits his mom, Meg, for instilling the work ethic in him and his brother that has allowed them to reach this point in their baseball careers.
'She's by far the most influential person I know,' he said. 'She's the one that taught me how to work hard, and the way that she's put me, my brother, and even the rest of my family above her, it's just really inspiring. That's all I do it for really. Baseball would be the best job in the world I think, but it's all really for my mom.'
With both brothers on the same team, Meg hasn't had to wear a split jersey yet like the moms of some other famous athlete brothers. But she did have No. 25 and No. 26 Oklahoma jerseys and earrings that she'd wear to match which brother was starting that day.
Depending on where Malachi ends up in the draft, Meg might be faced with the tough decision of having to split her attention between two different teams to watch her sons for the first time.
'She's going to have to watch one of us start and then watch the other guy on TV and the next time, we're just going to take turns. We'll have to figure it out,' Witherspoon said.
Advertisement
Though it will be an adjustment if he isn't teammates with his brother in professional baseball, Witherspoon is ready for his next step.
'I feel like it's really just like another door opening,' he said. 'I'm just trying to be me, just becoming more of an individual, in a sense. Really trying to build my own story. It'll be a change, for sure, but something I'm excited to do.'